Seals of Fate
by Tongues
Summary: Naruto has the Kyuubi sealed into him, but with an odd twist. The sealing changed and a new bloodline has awakened. With these abilities, Naruto plans to become Hokage and change the clans of Konoha. Will he survive to make the changes? Harem. Complete
1. Chapter 1

Seals of Fate

Hey guys. This is my first attempt at a fanfic. Since I am a student, my updates may be a little spread out until school end in a few weeks. Anyway, please review for me, your reviews are what let me write better stuff. Hope you enjoy the fic. (or well… the start of it…)

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its contents.

Chapter 1: Prologue:

Four years ago in the land of fire, a great peril befell a large ninja village, for reasons unknown. The great nine tailed demon fox, Kyuubi no Youko, attacked the Village Hidden in the Leaves, Konohagakure. It is said that with each swing of its mighty tails it could smash mountains, cause tsunamis, unleash destruction.

It seemed that all was lost for the people of Konoha. Ninjas died by the hundreds, with no chance of slaying the vile beast. Even the third Hokage could not stand against the beast long, eventually being forced to retreat, if only to ensure that if the village survived, there would be a leader remaining. For you see, the Third knew what was coming, and that his successor would not be in this world by the time the ordeal was finished.

'Hold on for just a little longer' the blond ninja thought to himself, as he raced through finishing the last of the forbidden seal. The Shishou Fuujin, a seal created for the sole purpose of sealing away demons, at the cost of ones own life. Running out of his house, the blond raced for the Kyuubi's location at a speed nearing the speed of light. With a throw and a yellow flash, there standing before him was the Great Nine Tailed Demon Fox.

With a bite of his thumb, 5 short handseals, and a cry of "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!", the Great Toad Gamabunta was summoned. Standing 60 feet tall, about the same height as the Kyuubi, the toad was orangish-brown, wearing a blue vest with the kanji for 'Toad' on the back, and wielding his tanta, which was about half the size of himself, the Toad Boss was truly a sight to behold. However, it was not him the people were looking at, it was the man atop his head. The blond ninja, the Yondaime Hokage and quite possibly the world's greatest ninja, standing 6'2" tall, with a jounin flak jacket, blue ninja pants and shirt, and his trademark white cape with the kanji 'Konoha's Yellow Flash' on the back, stood proudly, radiating a power which could seem to overwhelm all who opposed him.

"The Yondaime has arrived!" cried many ninjas from the ranks.

The Kyuubi too took notice of the great being before him. Not as great as himself of course, but indeed powerful. With a lightning fast slash of a claw, the great toad Gamabunta was wounded, a scar reaching from his left eyebrow to next to his nose, damaging the left eye.

Jumping back, Gamabunta growled "If you can do something kid, do it quick, I can't handle too much damage."

"I will, just keep us close. If we get too fair away, this won't work", the Yondaime yelled to his toad comrade.

"I'll do what I can" the Toad replied, and jumped high into the air, announcing "Suiton: Teppodama" (Water Release: Water Bullet). Three large orbs of water fired straight towards the Kyuubi, only to be deflected by its tails with seemingly little effort. While this happened, the Yondaime was quickly going through all 125 of the required seals. When Gamabunta landed, he was hit by one of the Kyuubi's tails, greatly injuring his organs. Yondaime as well was struck by some of the Kyuubi's energy, but at the same time he shouted out his technique, in a voice which rang louder than any of Kyuubi's roars.

"Fuin: Shishou Fuujin no Jutsu!" (Seal: Four Image Seal Technique). In an instant, the Kyuubi, Yondaime, and consequently Gamabunta disappeared. Only Sarutobi, the third Hokage, saw where the Kyuubi went. Its energy along with that of an unknown source, that felt almost like the Yondaime's, was felt entering the stomach of a newborn baby. The Yondaime's son, Namikaze Naruto, was now sealed with the greatest of the bijuu within him. The cry which echoed within the barely lit room where Sarutobi and Naruto resided was not heard by many, but for Sarutobi, it would be the most painful experience for him, as he couldn't do anything to stop it.

All the remaining ninjas on the battle field cheered uproariously as they believed the Kyuubi had died, however the cheering didn't last long, as they quickly noticed the absence of the Yondaime's body, as well as the number of corpses littered around them. The cries of pain were not ignored for more than a second, and quickly the remaining ninjas gathered the wounded and the dead, treating or burying them depending on the circumstances.

(1 day later)

The Third Hokage was seen standing atop the Hokage tower, addressing the people who stood below in the clearing. He was roughly 5'6" tall, with short brown yet graying hair with a few bald spots, and in his 50s he was still a force to be reckoned with. Nicknamed 'The Professor' he knew over 1000 jutsus, and could take down a small army of jounin by himself. Addressing the crowd, he spoke out to the crowd:

"We have suffered greatly, we have lost many good men, women, children, we have suffered losses of our treasures, our pride, our power, but we are not yet lost. The brave Yondaime Hokage gave his life for this village, sacrificing himself in order to defeat the mighty Kyuubi. He would wish us to rebuild, and we will honor him. We will rebuild ourselves into the great village we once were. All is not lost, and by my life I swear I will protect you all, and that Konohagakure will again rise into a great village!"

Shouts of encouragement, whistling, clapping, and cheering was heard from the crowd. None of them knew the Kyuubi was merely sealed away, but let them believe what they need to. It is too early to drop such a bomb upon the people again, and knowing their hatred of the Kyuubi, they would surely try to kill the child.

(2 Weeks Later)

The reconstruction of the village was coming along well. The Fire Daimyo decided to help fund the village's renewal, and with additional missions for surviving teams, the economy was improving. With the sped up economy, the village would soon be completely rebuilt. However, this was not the matter the council met to discuss that day.

"Kill the Demon Child! It is too dangerous to be left alive" Shouted several members of the council.

"It is a danger to us all, the seal could break, and then what would happen, we'd have a second coming of the Kyuubi!" shouted other members.

Sarutobi cut in, quieting the room with a gesture. When the room was fully silent, he spoke: "We cannot kill the child. The Yondaime wished for him to be seen as a hero, and surely if you believed in our Yondaime you would believe in his skills."

At this, a white-eyed man with long black hair and white robes addressed the room. "The Hokage is correct, and who knows what would happen if we were to kill the child, perhaps killing the child will break the seal, and that as well would cause a second coming of the Kyuubi."

Danzo, a man greatly distrusted by the Hokage, began to speak. Wearing bandages around most of his face, and a normal formal robe, he addressed the rest of the council: "This is true. We do not know about the inner workings of the seal, however if it was truly weak, would it not have broken by now? No. I say we take this child and make him into a weapon for Konoha. If he becomes a ninja, he may be able to use the Kyuubi's power against our enemies. Plus then he could be restrained, we could control the power of the Kyuubi!". While stating this, Danzo was laughing maniacally in his head, but he succeeded in not showing what he felt inside.

Several council members agreed to this plan of action, but Sarutobi would hear nothing of the sort. "This child is the son of the Yondaime! We cannot use him as a weapon!"

Hiashi Hyuuga, the man in the white robes, spoke up again. "Though I don't particularly care for the child, perhaps he should be placed with a family with one of the council members. He will soon start to resemble the Yondaime, and that will only cause questions to arise. Enemies of the Yondaime will chase after him, and if killing him results in the Kyuubi being released, then we'd all be doomed. This child must be hidden."

Sarutobi "I agree, he cannot be put with just any family in Konoha. He must be protected until he can protect himself. In order for this to happen, I believe a clan head should take care of the child."

After 15 more minutes of discussion, it was clear that most of the council agreed the child must be placed in a clan heads' family in order to prevent a second Kyuubi attack from occuring, but none of the clan heads were willing.

Sarutobi "Then I shall take him into my household. Perhaps if he lives with us, he can at least learn to protect himself while he is young. Since he truly is the Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi, then he will be able to grow very strong, and perhaps he will become the second Yondaime, instead of the second Kyuubi."

With this statement, the Council took a vote, and the acceptance of Naruto into the Sarutobi family became official. Though several of the members still hated the child, believing him to be the demon, the majority saw him as merely the container, and were either indifferent, or had plans for using him (Danzo). A rule was also made on that day, that Naruto's secret would be held by clan leaders and clan leaders only. If the law was broken and anyone told someone in the village, even their own family, they would be charged with treason and executed. The fact that Naruto was the Kyuubi's jinchuuriki was to be kept a SS class secret, and Naruto himself would not be told until he officially became a genin. Naruto would become a ninja, the most powerful of his kind.


	2. Chapter 2

Seals of Fate

My second chapter for this fic. It'll take a little while before he gets his bloodline. Please be patient with me. As always, plz review!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its content.

Chapter 2: The Beginning of a Genius Ninja.

The young blond woke up at 6:00 AM with no trouble. A hyperactive four year old with nothing better to do learned that his future was to be a ninja.

(Flashback no Jutsu: Yesterday)

"Naruto!" Sarutobi yelled for the 50th time that day. He was looking around the estate for his adopted son, and even with the help of several clones, the boy was nowhere to be found! "NARUTO! IF YOU AREN'T IN FRONT OF ME IN THE NEXT 5 SECONDS YOU AREN'T GETTING RAMEN FOR A MONTH!"

Faster than you could say Hiraishin, Naruto was in front of the original Sarutobi. Having dropped from the ceiling, Sarutobi was once again surprised by the blond. Unlocking his chakra at age three, being able to control it at genin level by age four, and being able to perform the academy's basic 3 jutsus, was beyond what even the Yondaime accomplished.

"Yes Ojjisan?" Naruto asked in a military-esque voice. Standing at attention with his fingers in a salute, the young boy was dressed in a black tank-top, dark green camo cargo shorts, black ninja sandals (where he got them Sarutobi still couldn't figure out) and styled his hair so it was sticking up and in other directions. Whether the kid used mousse or just had naturally spiky hair, the Hokage couldn't figure out either.

"Naruto, I need to talk with you about something of great importance."

"Is this about when I henged to get into the women's bath house? A white haired man told me if I got their underwear he'd give me candy!"

"No, he was dealt with rather harshly about 30 seconds after you left, the nice man is now in a hospital, however never do that again, it is not a nice thing to do to people." Biting back a perverted giggle as he wondered whether or not he could do that himself, he continued. "No, I want to discuss with you your ninja training."

At this, the young blond jumped up into the air several times, shouting "This is even better than Ramen! Training! Training!".

Seeing the boy's enthusiasm, the Hokage continued. "Now, for your age you are already as skilled as the average academy student. Your taijutsu needs work, but for ninjutsu and genjutsu you are already at genin-level. However, it is not what you have that you should work on, it is what you don't have. For the next 2 years until you enter the academy, you will be studying all there is to know about the mechanics and theories of ninjutsu, genjutsu, and taijutsu styles, in addition to research on the art of fuuinjutsu. I promise you, that if you abide by my schedule, you will be the best in your class and will probably graduate early."

"Studying? … How is that supposed to help? Can't you just show me some cool jutsus to learn?" whined Naruto. A tick mark appeared on Sarutobi's head. "Baka, you must train your mind before you can become powerful. Without knowing this, you will be unable to improvise, you will not be a great ninja, you will be limited. By knowing theories, you can create your own jutsu, you can become great, perhaps even as much as the Yondaime."

"Yondaime…" Naruto was quickly submerged in his thoughts. He had only had a brief four years of life, but he already desired to be Hokage. He saw what Sarutobi had done for the village, and had read about the accomplishments of the Hokages. Naruto learned all he could about all of them, their abilities, their lives, even some stuff he wasn't supposed to know that he stole from the Hokage's office while his ojjisan hadn't been watching. Naruto also loved the village. People were kind to him, not just because of his father, but because of his seemingly natural charisma. The village, aside from a few clans where the clan heads had gotten bits of the secret out, was kind to him, and for this, Naruto greatly loved the village.

Naruto knew he wasn't originally the Hokage's son, it was too obvious that he looked nothing like him. Add in the fact that Sarutobi wouldn't tell him who they were, and it became a mighty suspicious situation. Naruto was all the more grateful that people were so nice to him, even though he was an orphan. He had seen what happened to some orphans, and what happened when the Hyuuga branch decided a child was fated one way or the other, and Naruto decided he wanted to change the way the village worked, to help people who were not as fortunate as he.

Snapping back to reality, Naruto spoke. "I will do whatever it takes."

Sarutobi, surprised once again at the boy's resolve, smiled. "Excellent. First things first, go clean your room, and go to bed, you're gonna need lots of energy tomorrow."

With an enthusiastic "Yosh!" Naruto bounded up the stairs. For the next hour, clattering sounds could be heard until finally there was quiet, then soon after… loud snoring.

(End Flashback no Jutsu)

Today was the first day of Naruto's studies. Rushing to the bathroom he cleaned himself up. After a short bath, he emerged, wrapped in a towel. For his age, he was surprisingly buff. It's not every day you see a four year old with a six pack. This, of course, is because with all his free time, all Naruto would do was train himself. However, now all that time would be put to better use. Quickly dressing in an orange tank top and some black shorts, he made his way downstairs.

Sitting at the table, the young blond ate some milk and cereal, going through about half a box of the stuff in under 10 minutes, and left out the door to do his normal warm-ups. After 50 push-ups, sit-ups, punches, and kicks, the boy headed back inside with a light sweat. Though he didn't know where his stamina came from, he was happy to have it. Upon returning to the kitchen, he saw his ojjisan waiting for him.

"Naruto, in order to help you train and study to a greater extent, I am going to teach you one jutsu. It is a jounin level kinjutsu, and I don't expect you to get it for several weeks. It is called Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (Shadow Clone Jutsu)."

Naruto's eyes lit up. Not only was he learning a new Jutsu, he was learning a **Jounin** level Jutsu. A **Kinjutsu!** Showing Naruto the one seal, Sarutobi explained how the jutsu worked, including its ability to transfer its experiences and knowledge back to the original, with the only drawback being making too many clones could incapacitate the user, and the massive headache that would be gained from dispelling the clones. Naruto then set out to the backyard to practice.

(3 hours later)

"Ojjisan-Sensei! Ojjisan-Sensei! I did it!" shouted five Narutos standing in the training yard out back. A non-believing Sarutobi looked out the window, only to see that there before him were five Narutos, none deformed, and without being dispelled from chakra depletion.

"wow" he whispered. "Naruto! Hold them for as long as you can, then come inside and rest." Sarutobi called from the estate.

"Kay!" Naruto continued to stand and hold the clones for quite a long time, until his stomach started rumbling, which meant time for lunch. Having held the clones 'alive' so to speak for a whole five hours, Naruto was plenty hungry, and headed inside to eat.

In those five hours, Sarutobi reminisced. Knowing that he had not taught his student one of the keys to his success, the old man looked over the house. It hadn't changed all that much since he had brought Naruto home four years ago. The estate was three stories tall, painted white. It had several rooms on the first floor, including his den, a library, a living room, a kitchen, and two bedrooms, including his master bedroom. On the second floor there was just one long hallway, stretching the length of the house, with 6 large rooms, 3 on either side of the hallway. Naruto's bedroom, and Asuma's, Sarutobi's son, old bedroom was located right next to it. The other rooms were either spare bedrooms or meeting rooms for the rare occasion that a meeting needed to be done in his private residence. The third floor was just one gigantic loft, with a gigantic bed, a hot-tub, a porch that overlooked the training ground, a smaller kitchen, and one giant bathroom. A family of 6 could comfortably live there, especially because of the various deep couches in the room, some surrounding a fireplace. One wall held even more books than the library, however mostly not having to do with jutsus or any ninja-related business. The training room could be seen from the porch, on the east side of the estate. In the attic of that building was a lockdown seal to prevent anyone but himself or someone related to him from entering. However, Naruto could also get in if he entered with his Ojjisan. The backyard was just one giant training field. It was as wide as the estate and training room, and stretched back so far it nearly entered the woods. When Naruto arrived, not much changed, other than the overall messiness that he eventually outgrew, but still, memories of Naruto flooded back, and yesterday's antics just reinforced his belief in the boy.

Hearing a stomach growling loudly from behind him, Sarutobi turned to see Naruto holding his stomach.

"I held the clones for five whole hours, can we eat now? I could've held them longer but I'm hungry." Naruto complained.

Sarutobi agreed, and the two went out for ramen. With Naruto's monster stomach, he downed 24 bowls of ramen before being satisfied. With a wave to his favorite ramen cook and daughter, Teuchi and Ayame, they were off back to the training ground.

"Now Naruto, the time you were able to hold those clones means you have at least high Chuunin-level chakra. But don't celebrate yet, you still have to learn to control it better. For the rest of the day and this week I want to do to trees what you did with the walls, climb up them with chakra. However, don't do this alone, get your clones to do it with you. Judging from your apparent supply, don't make any more than 9 clones at a time. Now get going! You have work to do!"

"Yes Ojji-Sensei." And with a gleeful laugh, the young hyperactive blond set off to his work.

(One Week Later)

Getting up from his bed, promptly at 6:00 AM, Naruto showered, pulled on some clothes, and headed down to talk with his Ojjisan. "Ne, what am I going to be doing now."

"Naruto, now is when you begin studying. I know this may seem boring, but with every bit of knowledge you gain, you are one step closer to becoming Hokage. Remember, knowledge is power, and a stupid ninja is a dead ninja. Do not complain, this is for your own good."

Leading Naruto into the downstairs den, he told the young, hyperactive blond. "This is your assignment for the next 2 years. Read every single book here, and up in the loft. You will find your chakra reserves and control will increase, and eventually you will be able to make more clones. You should have five assigned to each room, for now, in order to get an equal balance for the future. Do not overwhelm yourself with too much of either library. If you work steadily for the next 2 years, you can do this."

Gaping at his grandfather and sensei, Naruto slowly closed his mouth, and nodded a resigned, sad nod. He looked down for a moment, then looked up at his grandfather. "Ojjisan, I'll do it, for you. For my future, for my dream. I swear I'll do it, and I never go back on my word. That's my nindo." Then, giving his grandfather a thumbs up suspiciously similar to Gai's except without the scary hair and shiny glint on his teeth from an invisible light, Naruto created 9 clones, and went to work. The next two years would be interesting, very interesting indeed.


	3. Chapter 3

Seals of Fate

I'm writing this before you reviewers get to post, sorry, but please review anyway. More involved editing will come later.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its content. If I did, Naruto would kick Sasuke's butt every single day, right before lunch.

Chapter 3: Emergence of a Genius.

(2 years later)

A six year old Naruto looked around the library. Having finally finished both libraries, after doing nothing but studying and Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (Shadow Clone Technique), he decided to reflect on everything he knew. Using a few hours, he decided to just go over it all in his head, since he really did know a lot, way more than most other people in the village. The only people to really rival his intelligence in general were probably elite jounins or the Hokage himself. However, Naruto had time to spare. He promised to Ojjisan his third day that he wouldn't complain, and he never did. He held himself to his word, and now he was probably the smartest kid his age on the planet… unless someone else somewhere did what he did…. Still, needless to say, Naruto had become rather confident in his abilities.

Over the two years, Naruto had analyzed over 50 different styles of taijutsu, their concepts, their strengths and weaknesses, and the situations they are used in. Though he learned none of the styles physically, Naruto's knowledge of taijutsu could rival Gai's (not that he knew who that was anyhow). Most of the concepts included either forced incapacitation through damage to organs from the outside, or through hitting key points on the body which force it to collapse. Upon looking through the endless scrolls and books, Naruto had even found a scroll that appeared to be the predecessor to the Jyuuken that the Hyuuga prize over all other styles of combat. This scroll in particular piqued Naruto's interest in medical study, and over the two years, he studied many medical jutsu and concepts as well. There were theories on how to identify pressure point based on movements, as well as ways to light up one's tenketsus so that they could be identified and closed. There were even ways to mess with a person's tenketsus through the use of chakra charged needles and precision throwing. In addition to this knowledge, Naruto found styles which combined slow and strong strikes with quick jabs, and taijutsu styles that incorporated medical jutsu such as chakra scalpels and element swords of fire, wind, and lightning. Though these jutsu would be incredibly difficult to perform, they would be theoretically possible. The Raijin sword the Nidaime Hokage used likely inspired this style of combat, even if the Nidaime rarely used the sword for physical combat to begin with. More concepts such as those of hitting and breaking joints, using spinning to create momentum and power without loss of speed, and using certain moves to grapple and choke an opponent, along with many other styles, piqued Naruto's interest to the point where he began taking notes to create his own style of fighting. Though the name came in stages, Naruto eventually named his style 'Dance of the Nine-Tailed Fox', for the destructive nature of the style in addition to the seemingly unbeatable defense created by keeping on the attack. In addition, because of his seal work, Naruto quickly began using gravity seals to increase his strength, and by the end of the two years, his strength was that of a low level chuunin. Admittedly, had more time been spent training his body, he probably could have brought that power up, however, taijutsu was not his only focus.

For genjutsu, Naruto learned about the senses, how to manipulate air waves with chakra, and a few other basic genjutsu skills. However, most of the time spent on this section of the library was spent on looking through the genjutsu scrolls and books, almost all of which had to do with the theory of the art. The main theory of genjutsu is to use it to fool your enemy into thinking differently than normal. Upon looking through the scrolls, Naruto encountered many different kinds, including lower levels which only dealt with one or two senses, up to higher level ones that can block all of a shinobi's senses, including touch, smell, taste, hearing, sight, and chakra resonance (sensing another person's chakra signature). In addition, he learned of the true use of illusions, images that appear to be real but aren't. Recorded in the scrolls were various descriptions of techniques which supposedly created horrific images in order to incapacitate a ninja with their own fear. Along with this, were genjutsus which would lure shinobis into traps, or make it so every time a shinobi thought they were going left, they would move to their right. More and more ideas flew towards Naruto, as the possibilities grew with more knowledge. One of the most practical, and funny jutsus he thought of came from that time he had fetched women's underwear for that elderly white haired man. Because of the knowledge gained from the general library, Naruto could now identify people like him as perverts, but is also gave way to the idea of a new use of henge. Having one day found a copy of Icha Icha paradise among the books in the main library on the third floor, Naruto created his own jutsu to deal with perverts, christened 'Oiroke no Jutsu' (Sexy Technique). The first time the boy used it was a little over a month ago.

(One Month Ago)

"Hey Ojjisan" Naruto piped up as he left the library to go to sleep, not noticing the middle-aged female diplomat with his grandfather in the private meeting room.

"Naruto, I told you. I'm not old and don't call me that in front of guests." Sarutobi told his young adopted son.

"Gomen, I did not see the woman next to you. Still, can I show you a great jutsu I came up with? I guarantee it'll knock you out like a light!" Naruto's voice grew gradually over the course of the sentence, and before Sarutobi could respond, Naruto had shouted "Oiroke no Jutsu!" and turned into a 16 year old girl, completely nude. Wisps of smoke covered the naughtier bits, but she was still a beautiful woman. Long blond pigtails ran half-way down her back, sky blue eyes, whisker marks (giving that little bit of cat-naughtiness), large shapely breasts, a sleek thin body, long luscious legs, and striking a seductive pose, Naruto-chan now stood before an unconscious Hokage, with blood streaming from his nose, position about three feet behind where he was due to the force of the burst. When Naruto cancelled the jutsu, he looked over to the woman, who still had a giant sweat-drop on her head. Trying to be polite, Naruto offered for her to stay the night. In order to solidify relationships, the diplomat did not reveal the embarrassing situation, though she had quite a thing to tell people should the alliance falter.

(end flashback)

Though his genjutsu and taijutsu skills grew, ninjutsu was quickly became the favorite. Having studied the theories of basic chakra control, as well as more advanced theories and uses for chakra, Naruto found new ways to practice chakra control that could quickly raise a ninja to jounin level control, if they could use Kage Bunshin well. The idea Naruto came across is that the hardest way to control chakra is to center it in one body part, then release it. The hardest form of control is to try to release chakra from a single tenketsu, instead of a large area. By dispelling Kage Bunshin, the controller can try to make sure the chakra returns to a specific tenketsu on the body. Since the chakra has to enter the body, forcing outside chakra to enter at a certain point means training control outside and within the body. Doing this for two years, Naruto's chakra control rose up to that of an experienced Jounin medic nin, rivaling Tsunade's. Because of this, Naruto was able to reach 100 clones staying 'alive' for more than a day without collapsing from exhaustion. However, this discovery led to a greater interest in ninjutsus. With such perfect control and understand of theories, any jutsu could become simple, once he learned how to mold chakra better. Once discover that his elemental affinity was neutral, Naruto found that he could perform jutsus of almost every element, excluding those that needed a bloodline to use. Water, Fire, Earth, Lightning, Wind, just by looking at the jutsus, Naruto found himself pretty sure that he could use them even if only working on them for a short amount of time. Thus, the idea of causing mass destruction with very little drain on himself became a most attractive idea, and over the course of the two years, Naruto could manipulate all of the five possible elements for him, and do it well. Naruto even created some double element ninjutsus, including a lightning enhanced Katon Housenka no Jutsu (Fire release: Phoenix Flower Technique) and a water enhanced earth jutsu, Doton Suiton: Teppodama no Jutsu (Earth Water release: Mud Bullet), a new technique created by Naruto which functions like the Housenka, but stick the opponent to the ground. As said before, ninjutsu was a talent for Naruto.

However, out of all these talents, the one for which Naruto held the greatest affinity, was fuuinjutsu, the art of sealing. The possibility to create powerful, unbeatable jutsus was at Naruto's fingertips when he came upon the first fuuinjutsu scroll. This form of technique took up the most space in the library, over 400 scrolls on the theory, kinds of seals, uses, concepts, and more all within the library's walls. Scrolls of sealing were the most interesting, and according to several sources, their power went up to the point where demons could be sealed away, since that was really the only was to dispose of them. Of course, along with his normal reading in the loft on the third floor, Naruto learned a great many things about the sealing of the Kyuubi no Kitsune no Youkai, and how his hero, the Yondaime, managed to seal the creature, despite that he had been told it had been killed, in fact, on the day of his birthday. Seeing that this was knowledge privy only to the Hokage, Naruto took great interest in reading about it and found that the Kyuubi had been sealed into a newborn child. However, it was then that Naruto noticed he had ventured into Ojjisan's personal section of the library, and decided to ignore what he saw and ask said Hokage about it sometime later. '_a six year old should not know such things_' he thought '_and I don't want to make him angry. I'll ask when I come across a seal like that one, so I have an excuse_'. Continued study in fuuinjutsu showed such possibilities as sealing enemies, at a more advanced level, sealing items, and making explosives. If their was a faster way to do seals than drawing them, then fuuinjutsu would be the most powerful type!

As the two years came to an end, after having read and learned so much, and increasing his knowledge to a point where very few would ever out-smart him, old man Hokage decided to give Naruto a written test based on the subjects, questions only he and perhaps Kakashi or Shikaku Nara could answer. However, Naruto passed with flying colors, and at this point, Sarutobi labeled him a prodigy. Truly, he was a genius ninja. The next day, Naruto was to be sent to the academy, however, this led to a heated discussion.

"Ojjisan! I know way more than anyone else there, and I bet I'm better at everything than all of them! Why do I have to go to the academy?!"

"Naruto, you may be a prodigy, but you can't just get everything your way. It will be a beneficial experience for you. Plus, you'll be able to make some friends. You haven't been out of this house once these whole two years, except 2 or 3 times for ramen. You've worked plenty for your age, and your youth only comes once. Have fun for once."

"But… But can't I just graduate early? Can't you promote me to genin or something?" Naruto continued whining while leaving Sarutobi deep in thought.

'_He's right. He's far beyond the level of any genin, and most chuunin… and I promised the council that I would increase his power to the point where he could help in combat… really nothing I can do_'. Sarutobi snapped out of his thoughts and returned to talking to Naruto. "Naruto, be quiet and let me think". _I can't make him jounin, he isn't mature enough, however, he could pass as a chuunin. But how to make him act more responsibly? …_ Once again snapping from his thought, Sarutobi put on a malicious grin. "Oh Narutooooo" Sarutobi whispered in a devilish tone. Naruto immediately stopped and looked up in fear. _The only time he looks at me like that is when he's going to do something I really won't like_.

"Naruto, you will be going to the academy." Sarutobi stated with confidence and authority in his voice.

"WHAT?! But I'm so much better than them!!" Naruto yelled. Sarutobi simply nodded in agreement before continuing on.

"Yes, that is true, but what you lack is humbleness, you lack responsibility, you may be a great strategist, but you are not a leader. You have great knowledge that would be beneficial to spread. You will be going to the academy…. As a teacher."

At this Naruto's jaw dropped. "Why?" was the only response Naruto could think of in his current predicament. With the eloquence of a practiced speaker, Sarutobi replied in a steady voice:

"The previous teacher, Iruka sensei, lost his assistant Mizuki a few days ago, since the traitor attempted to use a student who wanted to graduate to steal the Forbidden Scroll."

"Iruka needs a new assistant, and what better way that to send my prodigy of a son to him to help? You'll be able to play with children your own age, and at the same time learn what it takes to act like a responsible adult, while remaining humbled a an authority a step above you. I will inform Iruka of the change in plans. Report there at 5:30 AM tomorrow morning and meet with him. He's the one with the scar on his nose and pineapple nose, room 105. Now go get some rest, and make sure you do as he says. If I hear any complaints from him, I'm restricting your use of the library".

The ultimate penalty. The look of horror on Naruto's face at the thought of his research being stopped was plenty of evidence for Sarutobi that he had reached Naruto. Also, the though of getting up even earlier, at about 5 AM in order to be there on time, struck Naruto as possibly one of the worst schedule adjustments of all time. Being that it was already 9:00 PM, Naruto went off to bed. Tomorrow would be a strange, strange day.


	4. Chapter 4

Seals of Fate

Thanks for the reviews so far. I will be taking votes on other possibilities for the harem, but I don't want too many people since I'm not really experienced at this… I also did this chapter in two parts, so it may be a bit off halfway through. I tried to get back on track though. Keep up those reviews!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its content. If I did, Sasuke would have a relationship with the Kawarimi log.

Took narrative

"took" speaking

'_took_' thought

Chapter 4: Teacher's Aid, Beginning of GTN.

Getting up at the blissful time of 6 AM, Naruto sat up in his bed and wandered off to his shower, took a nice long bath, and returned to get ready for the day. Noticing the nice clothing laid out already, as he had put it there last night, he slipped it on. An old black muscle shirt stretched its way across his muscular chest. On top of this he wore an orange shirt with a black spiral on the back. Slipping on his gray and black camo cargo shorts over his bright orange boxers, he slowly sat on his bed and began fastening his black ninja sandals. Then, moving in front of the mirror, he sluggishly combed his hair, leaving it in approximately the same place it was when he woke up, and walked downstairs. Grabbing some cereal and milk, he down three bowls in just under five minutes, then headed to the library. As soon as he sat down to create Kage Bunshins, he noticed something was off. There were no books littered across the tables… there were no open scrolls, there was nothing left to do but reread what was there for greater future benefit, and that is when the conversation of last night came drifting back to mind. Checking the time as his hear rate gradually increased, Naruto saw that it was already 6:45 AM, the academy started lessons 15 minutes ago, he was supposed to meet with Iruka an HOUR and 15 minutes ago. While these thoughts passed through his mind, the chorus of people yelling "duh" in his head grew louder and louder. With a scream of "Holy F#ing S&( !!" and a few other choice words that the housekeepers wondered where he learned, he was off at a speed that would make a snail look fast. A moment later, after dispelling his gravity seals, he made a beeline for the academy, however now the snail was somewhat envious.

On the journey, Naruto's, mind drifted back to parts of the discussion with his grandfather last night. Sarutobi had mentioned that if he taught well at the academy, that 6 years from now when that class graduated, he would be permitted to rise to the rank of chuunin. The thought of a good recommendation and becoming one step closer to Hokage spurred Naruto's strength, as he increased his pace.

Arriving 10 minutes later, the blond shinobi wracked his mind for what room he was supposed to be in. Since he clearly wasn't thinking straight, he bypassed the front desk and ran down the hallways and up stairs until he remembered, he was supposed to be in room 105…. Two floors down. Returning down the stairs and down the hallway, he found the room situated right across from the front desk. _How… stupidly ironic_ was one of a few thoughts that passed through his mind. Seeing the young blond simply staring at the door, the young receptionist shinobi on duty decided to find out what was going on.

"Excuse me? Ahem, sir? Do you need some help?"

Looking over, Naruto found himself staring at quite possibly the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. She was roughly 14 years old, 5'8" with blond hair down to her mid-back and a cute round face. Her bust was average size, and she appeared to be in great shape, as though she trained every day. She had a great natural beauty about her, one you couldn't develop, you had to be born with a body like that. However, Naruto suppressed his blush, mostly because of the overwhelming feeling of shock from seeing her weapon. Leaning on the side of the desk was a sword the size of her that appeared to be giving off its own green chakra. The unusual weapon was emitting a humming noise the closer Naruto moved towards it, however god only knows why.

"Ahem, uh, yeah. I'm here to m-meet with Iruka-Sensei… I'm kinda late" Naruto said, stuttering only slightly, though she didn't appear to notice.

"Ah, so you're a student? Well feel free to go right in. He's an easy-going guy and it's the first day so you should be fine." She spoke in a confident tone, as her sword continued to hum. The fact that it was changing tone, as if singing a tune, only served to unnerve Naruto further.

"Er, no. I'm his teaching assistant.. I was supposed to be here, about an hour and a half ago. I overslept a little". This time, feeling a bit overwhelmed, he decided to figure out something about her. "Uh, miss… What's your name?"

"Aliera, and don't be so nervous. Kie, my sword, won't hurt you. It's just happy to have someone around with lots of chakra. You'll be fine. So, you're the teaching assistant? Tell you what, I'll just ask him to take a break for a moment so you won't be interrupting his class directly, that sound okay with you?"

"uh, yeah! Thanks, that sounds perfect." Naruto subsequently became less nervous when the sword suddenly stopped humming.

Holding down a small intercom button, Aliera announced through the P.A. "Iruka, we have someone here to see you, could you please report to the front desk."

With that, they waited only a few moments before Iruka emerged from his classroom, asking "Aliera, why can't you just knock on my door? I'm only 10 feet away you know."

"Sorry, couldn't be bothered. I've got to go deliver some stuff to a teacher upstairs, I'll leave you two alone." And with that, the mysterious woman grabbed her sword and walked upstairs. Iruka then turned to Naruto.

"So, you're Sarutobi's kid then? You're late kid, really, really late. Tell you what, I know what happens to you if Sarutobi gets a bad report from me, so if you can go in there, prove your worth, and keep those kids awake for the entire lecture, then I'll let this little error pass by."

Over the course of this little talk, Naruto's expression changed from fear, to acceptance, to enthusiasm. At this, Iruka smiled and walked back into the classroom, Naruto following closely behind.

As they entered the room, few head turned, most of the children just kept talking with their friends. Iruka gave Naruto a little wink, signaling for him to get the room's attention. Naruto winked back, and began doing hand seals. 25 seals and 3 seconds later, he announced his jutsu. "Raiton: Thunderclap no Jutsu!" (A/N: I don't have an english/japanese translator. If someone could send me one, it would be greatly appreciated.)

At the announcement of this jutsu, Iruka quickly covered his ears, while the rest of the genin's heard thunderclap loud enough for their ear to pop, and in Kiba's case, cause him to roll to the ground in pain. Everyone's eyes were on Kiba, then on the person who used the Jutsu, who simply pointed to Iruka. Needless to say, they got the message. After a few moments, Naruto trekked up to Kiba's location, and began healing his ears. After a few moments, he seemed to be perfectly fine again, if a teensy bit sore. Looking at his medic in wonderment, he was the first to ask. "Who are you?"

"I'm Sarutobi Uzumaki Naruto, assistant teacher to Iruka sensei." At this, all but two of the class looked at the boy wondering just where he learned how to heal people. The first also looked at him, except with a blush on her face. Wearing a coat and black ninja pants, the dark-blue haired girl with white eyes tried to keep her head from becoming a tomato, but with little success. It didn't help her much that the boy was wearing baggy pants and she could see his boxers, nor did it help that the orange shirt and the angle of the sun made him look a god among men. He was clearly quite ripped for a boy his age, and had a nice tan. His golden hair was growing longer, down his neck, and he appeared to be a very knowledgeable person, confident, everything Hyuuga Hinata wanted to be. However, the other person who was not looking at him, merely let out a snort. Uchiha Sasuke, prodigy of the Uchiha clan, was not a strong as Itachi but was still considered the strongest starting academy student.

"Dobe, you're wasting your chakra. Someone as weak as him doesn't deserve healing, especially from a low-class baka like you who can't even get into the academy."

Looking down the rows of seats, Naruto spotted the one who had made the comment. Seeing the Uchiha crest on the back, he knew that this class was going to be tough to keep in line. An arrogant clan such as theirs spouting so-called prodigies was one of his least favorite ideas, especially since the Uchihas gained power by stealing Jutsu from others.

"For your information, Uchiha Sasuke, you'd best watch what you say, because if you get out of line here you will pay the consequences, now everyone look up front, I believe Iruka sensei wanted your attention."

_Already I hate this responsibility thing, why can I just be at home reading scrolls? What kind of friends can you make when you have to be in charge of people?_ It wasn't clear to the class exactly who Naruto was, even after his announcement. Iruka, sensing this, decided to clarify.

"He is indeed telling the truth. This is Sarutobi Uzumaki Naruto, our aid and son of the Third Hokage."

"His son? How is that possible? He must have been 55 when he had him with his wife, that isn't possible." Voiced one of the students.

_Ugh, I knew I was gonna have to explain this_. Rocking his head in his hands for a brief moment, then lifting it up, Naruto addressed the class: "I am an adopted child, I was abandoned and the Sarutobis found me and took me in, very much like the Yondaime, who was also an orphan, found and trained. I do not know who my parents are, nor do I know my true origins, whether they be with Konoha or some other nation. I am greatly educated in many forms of combat, including various styles of taijutsu, a large arsenal of ninjutsu, and some genjutsu. I also specialize in fuuinjutsus, as to be honest, it is probably the coolest shinobi art ever!" Saying the last part with great enthusiasm, he got several odd glances, mostly from people who had no clue what fuuinjutsu was. However, this did not put off the young blond. "I'm also here as the teacher's aid for the next few years. Since I already know a great deal, I am here to share my expertise and help all of you become genin. Now pay attention to Iruka or I'll use another jutsu on one of you, one you most certainly won't find pleasant."

The rest of the early part of the day passed without incidents. When it came time for lunch, Naruto decided to just sit out with the rest of the kids, despite Iruka's offer for him to eat in the Teacher's lounge. Sitting on a bench, Naruto took out some ramen in an oversized thermos and began eating. Looking around he saw various kids doing all sorts of interesting things. Various random ninja kids were playing on the swing-set, going down slides, and playing on the monkey bars. A kid, who Naruto learned was named Shino, was playing with an ant hill, seemingly fascinated by their behavior. Meanwhile, the girl whom Naruto learned to be Hinata Hyuuga of the main branch, was stealing looks at him while he pretended not to notice. _Who knows, maybe she'll become a good friend_. The Uchiha boy was off in a dark corner, trying to dodge numerous fangirls including a pink haired girl named Sakura, and a blond haired girl named Ino. They appeared to be the two smartest girls in their class, but 'looking underneath the underneath' it was clear that Hinata had the same smarts as them, if not better, despite her lack of confidence. Then off in the shade of a tree there was a rather pudgy young man, whom Naruto saw to be an Akimichi, though he couldn't remember his first name, and Nara Shikamaru, who clearly had a very high IQ for his age. Naruto may be smart, but that kid was gonna be a genius. A strategist like him is someone you don't want on another side of a war. And lastly there was that Kiba kid, apparently from the Inuzukas, who was currently striding up to the bench with an arrogant smirk on his face, which as he neared was becoming a large grin. The change in attitude Naruto couldn't understand until he realized the kid was trying to act big in front of other kids. Though this did not sit especially well, Naruto couldn't blame him, since he actually thought the Inuzuka clan was pretty cool… if a bit stinky.

"Hey, thanks for earlier today, where'd you learn all that stuff?" He had the voice of a surfer on pot, but it was a friendly voice.

"I studied scrolls for two years, you'd think I'd pick a few things up." Naruto retorted, though without malice.

"Ah sweet. Say, think you could show me a few things?" His voice was genuine, and he seemed willing to learn. _May as well give it a shot_. "Yeah, sure. You know how to use chakra?"

"Yeah. You gonna teach me a jutsu?" Though he was trying to suppress is eagerness in an attempt to look cool, the gleam in his eye spoke more words than he ever could.

"Eh, sure. Let me check your affinity. Channel some chakra into this card." Holding out a card to Kiba, the boy did as told. The card split in half then turned to dust.

"Hmm, you appear to have two affinities, a rather rare circumstance. Wind and Earth, wind especially is rare. Well, I'll show you something basic. Follow my seals."

Making three hand-seals, the young blonde spoke quietly "Doton: Inner decapitation technique", then sunk into the ground and pulled Kiba down so that only his head was exposed above the ground. Then, turning away from the boy, Naruto walked away. Or was going to until he realized he'd left Kiba in the ground. Turning around, Naruto pulled the young Inuzuka out of the ground, and looked him over.

Kiba was an oddity to Naruto. The beastly look of his brown hair and face, in addition to his abnormally long canines and the red paint in streaks under his eyes made him look like a wild animal. The furry coat he wore and gray ninja pants made no great impression on Naruto, so he simply got up, and returned to his bench, continuing to eat his ramen.

"Hey man, thanks. You're name's Naruto right?" A mere nod of the affirmative answered his question. "Okay then, Naruto, I'll see you around once I get the hang of that jutsu." Then lowering his voice, he moved closer and said "But don't use that on me in front of girls."

The blush on the Inuzuka's face immediately told Naruto this guy was at least some kind of pervert, and by the looks of it, he would have gotten along great with that white-haired man from a little while ago, who he'd seen peeping at girls in the hot-springs. Sighing, Naruto turned back to his lunch until the bell rang, then trudged back inside among the other students.

Upon re-entering the classroom, Naruto noticed Sasuke squatting on a desk and arguing with Iruka-sensei. Though choosing not to get too involved, the blond caught bits of the conversation with his advanced senses. However, his advanced were also a mystery to him. Every time Naruto had had an hearing or seeing exam, he passed with no trouble, even hearing tones that no normal person should have been able to hear, and seeing so sharply and in such detail that it seemed as though he had telescopes in his eyes. Yet, these thoughts only briefly ran through the blond's head, and soon he turned his attention back to the raven-haired Uchiha, and then to Iruka who motioned for him to join them.

Walking calmly up to the pair, the blond put on a quizzical look, then asked "What can I help you with Sensei?"

"A disturbance happened in the room, caused by a fireball which headed towards a group of young female academy students. I know you were outside the room until just now, therefore the Uchiha is the only one capable of such a feat. I am attempting to reprimand him, but…"

At this point, Iruka was interrupted by a low, guttural growl from the young Uchiha, who then spoke up saying "Look, they were being annoying and took my food so that they could attempt to feed it to me. I didn't aim to injure them, '_much_', so I did nothing wrong." Finishing with a smug smile, the Uchiha stated "I'm an Uchiha, I only need to become powerful".

However, before Sasuke could move off the desk, he heard an unusual sound, and felt something near his buttocks.

(Flashback no Jutsu, 1 year ago)

Naruto was sitting in the library, having been studying for the last few hours. It was now about 2:00 PM and Ojjisan was at the Hokage tower. Since Naruto was really having trouble with the scroll he was working on, he decided to say goodbye to his 50 clones and go on a brief walk. However, since going to the village may let the Hokage see him leaving the building, Naruto decided to walk along the outer edge of the estate grounds, until he reached the first of the training fields for Genin. In the center of the field was a silver-haired man with blue pants and shirt, a green jounin vest, and a forehead protector which covered one eye. Next to him was a man in green tights wearing a jounin vest and a forehead protector strapped around his waist. Both men looked to be about 19 or so, and were fighting each other. A brief flash of light covered the field, and a half second later, an odd sound was heard. The silver-haired jounin had just stuck his fingers into the tights-wearing jounin, and flung him into the air, shouting "Ninpo: 1000 years of pain!"

The expression on the man's face as he was flung into the hair by the power of leverage on his own rectum was priceless. Though it was clear the man could have avoided the attack had he been expecting it, it was a potent move for humiliating an opponent, possibly forcing them to attack blindly, a foolish move for any ninja.

(End Flashback: A/N: I may have gotten the ages wrong. Kakashi was 13 when the Kyuubi came, right? And Gai is the same age? Then they would be 19… correct?)

With a shout of "Ninpo: 1000 years of pain", Naruto took away the young Uchiha prodigy's innocence, in front of the whole class who was now watching. Following with their eyes, they saw Sasuke arc over their head and land in front of the bookshelf in the back of the class. Rubbing his buttocks, he recovered and got up, though not without difficulty. As soon as he turned around, however, the entire class burst into laughter. Even some of the fangirls couldn't help but giggle, even though their blond teacher's aid had just taken away the innocence of their beloved first.

Naruto, who had also followed Sasuke's path with his eyes, was wearing a large grin that threatened to split his face in half when he saw Sasuke begin rubbing his cheeks. The prodigy turned a heated glare towards the blond, but remained silent, not wanting to incur another attack. The glares of other girls also struck Naruto, particularly the ones from Sakura and Ino, who were both restraining themselves to their seats, using sheer willpower to prevent themselves from avenging their Sasuke.

When the laughter died down and Sasuke stopped rubbing his butt, about five minutes had passed, and class resumed. The rest of the day went by fairly quietly with all the students paying attention, all of them hoping not to incur the wrath of either the thunderclap or the ass-poke. And this is how the story of Great Teacher Naruto began.

Chapter End.


	5. Chapter 5

Seals of Fate

Hey all! Glad for the feedback. I am currently dodging writing an essay by writing more of this fanfic, down with stupid history projects! Anyway, for the possible harem, feel free to post your choices in your reviews. I'll tally them up when I need to pick. Also, I wrote this chapter in parts, it may be a little choppy.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto nor any of its contents. If I did, Lee would get drunk before every combat in order to win.

The song is 'Drops of Jupiter' by Train. I do not own this song, however awesome it may be.

Chapter 5: GTN!

Waking up on the first day of a new semester, Naruto thought back to all he had accomplished these past two years. They had passed with little difficulty. Though he still had four years of teaching left to go before he could become a chuunin, that wasn't much of a concern, it just meant he had four more years to keep training without the challenge of being sent on any dangerous missions.

In the past two years, Naruto came to be known as Great Teacher Naruto, for his accomplishments at the school. In order to get on Iruka's good side, Naruto began to participate in the lectures more, making sure everyone understood before moving on to a new topic, and 'corrected' students who were not paying attention. After a few weeks of 'corrections', most of the students got the idea and decided to talk outside of class. After the first year it was suggested that Naruto begin holding his own lectures for students who wished to learn higher level material, such as theories and the beginning arts of fuuinjutsu. Also, many students became friendlier with the young aid. Kiba had accepted Naruto the first day, and a few days after that, Naruto had become friends with a number of people, including Shino, Chouji, Shikamaru, and Hinata. Naruto's encounter with Shikamaru proved to be probably the second most interesting of the four. After learning of Naruto's intelligence, and the fact that he knew how to play shougi, Shikamaru did something no one really expected.

(Flashback no Jutsu: 3rd week of academy)

"Yo" said an apparently bored Shikamaru, carrying a shougi board and pieces, standing over Naruto who lay against a tree in the shade. Wearing a mesh shirt with a tan vest-shirt over it, and non-descript pants, he wasn't exactly an imposing figure. The only real oddity about Shikamaru was his hair, which looked sort of like a pineapple if viewed from the correct angle, and the fact that his hobby was lazily watching clouds. Also his IQ over 200…

"Yo" replied the blond shinobi. Laying back in a white, short-sleeved shirt with a pocket on the front, and navy blue cargo shorts, the blond was an equally unimposing figure. Or would have been if not for the fact that his hair was sticking out in all directions, clearing drawing attention when contrasting with the dark brown-gray bark of the tree.

"Tch, troublesome. Wanna play?" Shikamaru asked in lazy, drawling voice. Sitting down and placing the board on the ground, he began to set up the pieces. With nothing else to do, Naruto helped to set them up, and soon they were in a heated piece-on-piece duel. With expert precision, both players executed flawless board moves throughout the day. Ignoring the bell that ended lunch, and the bell which ended school, the two players were completely immersed in their game. Soon, the children leaving wondered where they had gone, and spotting them under a tree, a crowd began to gather. Soon, several students and teachers were watching the game play out.

(9 hours later)

It had grown dark, and was just a little past 11:00 PM. The crowd had shrunk, but still some teachers and students watched, holding lanterns so that the two could see the board. The wind chill made most of the observers think that the players had frozen over, as neither had moved more than an inch in the last hour. Both of them had not eaten since breakfast, and had not slept since 6 AM (5AM in Naruto's case) that morning. Only three more moves were executed by each player, by midnight, and at this point all the observers decided to go home, leaving 2 lanterns so that the two could make their respective ways home… or so they thought…

(6 hours later)

Deadlocked with few pieces left on each side, the two had played through the night. Both suffering from exhaustion, hunger, and stress, the two young boys continued their game. At 6 AM, students who had left that evening arrived only to see the both of them still under the tree, lanterns alight, continuing their game. The crowd from before gathered only to see that the game was nearly over. The students and teachers filed into the school, sat through their lecture, and the whole time wondered '_When are they gonna finish that game?_'. While filing out for lunch, almost all of the students of the academy, and all teachers not doing paperwork (about three or four) crowded around the pair.

(15 minutes later)

Shikamaru was considering his next move, which would likely decide the fate of the game. Moving, for the 42nd time into his thinking pose, he planned out his next move. Five minutes later, he opened his eyes, and moved a piece forward.

Naruto, not anticipating the move, began to think about his response. However, hunger and exhaustion was clouding his mind. There was no way he could break away from the game now, it had to be finished. Looking at the board, he analyzed his situation, and saw that he had been mostly trapped within a square of pieces, closing in on his remaining pieces. Going for a final, do or die move, Naruto moved a piece three spaces forward, once to the left, hoping to redirect the well-planned assault. He was not so lucky.

Seeing the diversion for what it was, Shikamaru moved a last piece ahead a space, instead of taking Naruto's bait, and with that, Shikamaru won, then both boys collapsed from exhaustion and lack of food. They woke up the next day in their respective homes, and unknowing of what the other was doing, they both climbed up to their respective roofs, and watched the clouds pass by. The most epic game of Shougi ever played, someone had finally beaten GTN at something.

(End Flashback)

Thinking back to the game and how fatigued he was afterwards, Naruto got out of his bed and made his way to the shower. Stripping off his clothes to reveal his tanned, well-muscled body, Naruto hopped into the shower. This caused Naruto to remember how he had first met Hinata personally.

(Flashback no Jutsu: Start of Second Year of the Academy)

Naruto was resting after an exhausting training session at the academy grounds, where he had been throwing shuriken. Much to his disappointment, however much he had studied weaponry when going through taijutsu and the few random kenjutsu scrolls in the library, he still found it difficult to throw the shuriken correctly, accurately, and quickly, with power behind the throw. After a three hour training session, along with the help of 100 clones, Naruto learned to throw the stars with a measure of proficiency, as long as he was standing still. Noticing the think layer of grime and sweat on his body from the exertion, he trekked inside to the boys' (or so he thought) locker room.

Throwing off his clothes to reveal his glistening body, he hopped over to the shower, entered, flipped on the water, and washed away the dirt from his body. Five minutes later, unbeknownst to the young blond, a young Hyuuga girl entered the locker room. Not noticing the clothing on the floor and bench that was clearly men's, the girl stripped. She too was covered in sweat and grime, since she had been working on her Jyuuken rather hard in an indoor training room of the academy. She skipped lightly over to an unoccupied shower and flipped on the water.

The young blond, failing to notice the presence of the girl, began to sing.

Now that she's back in the atmosphere

_With drops of jupiter in her hair, hey, hey_

_She acts like summer and walks like rain_

_Reminds me that there's time to change, hey, hey_

_Since the return from her stay on the moon_

_She listens like spring and she talks like june, hey, hey_

By the time the second verse began, Hinata had recognized the voice and was blushing furiously. Her crush, the guy who never gave up and worked with all he had, with sun-kissed hair, a perfect body, and a smile that could melt any girl's heart, was in the shower stall next to her singing in a voice, which to her, was heavenly. Not wanting him to stop, she sat down in her stall, so that he couldn't see her.

_Tell me did you sail across the sun_

_Did you make it to the milky way to see the lights all faded_

_And that heaven is overrated_

_Tell me, did you fall for a shooting star_

_One without a permanent scar_

And did you miss me while you were looking at yourself out there

He continued to sing, the sound of his voice carrying over the sound of water gushing down and, despite the fact that it wasn't particularly warm, it began to heat her up. Her blush was so deep it made tomatoes look dull in color, and as the song progressed, she had to force herself not to rush around the curtain and wall, and cling onto the being who seemed to brighten her days with just a smile and a mere word of encouragement. Not once in the past year of the academy had he used a jutsu on her, ignored her, or done anything harmful. In fact, every day he seemed to smile up at her in her desk, and even if he had just been scouting the room, to her it felt like his eyes, those deep blue oceans, were meant for her. After a particularly good taijutsu spar between her and another girl, the oceans and heart melting smile turned to her, and he told her, completely honestly, "good job". Her hear fluttered, and when the song ended, she couldn't hold it anymore and threw herself around the curtain, around the wall, through his curtain, and into his stall, hugging him as if her life depended on it.

Needless to say, Naruto was shocked, as he thought he was in the boys' locker room. He was about to speak, when he realized that the girl grasping him so tightly was none other than Hinata Hyuuga, the girl rumored to have a crush on him, and that she was naked. Not being able to help it, his body began to react, and there was a soon a hard object rubbing against Hinata, and a moan escaped his lips. Her body reacting as well, she reached up, kissed him on the lips, then left the shower stall. Grabbing a towel, she dried herself off, grabbed her clothes, dressed, and left without a word.

The reason that Naruto had not come out after her was because he was frozen in place. In fact, he was stuck in place for quite a long time. Thoughts keep running through his head, none of them making much sense, however he eventually came to two conclusions. The first was: A naked Hyuuga Hinata had just run into his shower stall, pressed against him, kissed him on the lips, and walked out. Due to the fact that he had turned off the shower, and another was still on, and he was pretty sure no one had turned one on since Hinata had left, that Hinata had been there for quite a while and had heard him singing. Turning beet red, Naruto came to his second conclusion: He had no clue why his body reacted the way it did, and that he should ask ojjisan about it later. However, that conversation ended with his Ojjisan simply saying "I'll tell you when you're older", as he appeared to be suppressing another one of those perverted giggles of his. '_Oh well, I'll just wait until it comes up again, and try to react in the correct fashion… whatever that is_'.

(End Flashback)

Needless to say, the past year since then, Hinata became bolder and began talking with Naruto. However, she never brought up the shower incident again, and every time she saw him without a shirt, she fainted. Though must other kids could see the cause of this, especially because of the tell-tale nosebleed, Naruto was oblivious and attributed it to some sort of recurring cold.

However, Naruto didn't just teach and make new friends during the two years he'd already spent at the academy. Leaving the shower and going to get dressed, Naruto pulled on his clothes, then made 200 Kage Bunshins which cost less than 5 of Naruto's increasingly large chakra reserve, and sent them off to do their duties. One drawback Naruto found to the 'Kage Bunshins learn' idea was that they couldn't be used to increase Naruto's speed or power. Since much of Naruto's time was spent teaching, and using a Kage Bunshin to teach was not allowed by Iruka, he had little time to increase his physical skills. However, his mental abilities continued to grow, and Ojji-sensei even agreed to let Naruto start using the library in the loft of the training dojo outside. Currently, with the help of clones, Naruto was learning more advanced theories, and a new jutsu every month from the dojo library. Considering it held over 1000 jutsus, and almost that many theories, the progress Naruto was making seemed minimal, despite his clones work. Still, by the end of two years, Naruto had learned a great variety of D and C ranked jutsus, and theories on fuuinjutsu and ninjutsu that had only been fully applied by the Yondaime and Jiraiya, the Toad Sannin. Among the seals Naruto learned to use were storage seals, explosive note seals, and the beginnings of human sealing, a forbidden art which developed into the sealing of the Bijuu, as the seals grew to greater levels. The human sealing seemed morbid to Naruto, but he quickly brushed off the thought when he noticed how useful such seals could become.

Leaving his room and heading downstairs, Naruto noticed something was wrong. Usually, at this time in the morning, Ojji-san was leaning back in a chair with a hot cup of coffee in one hand, a book in the other, in a position so far back that if Naruto had never seen his Ojji-san sit that way, he'd be sure that the old man would fall and break a hip. However, there was no Ojji-san that morning, _Maybe he just went to the tower early today_. With that thought, the young blond shoveled down breakfast, then raced off to the academy. On the way there, Naruto regretfully remembered what happened just last week.

(Flashback no Jutsu: One week ago)

"Hey Aliera, how's it going?" Naruto asked, in his usual friendly tone. Every day since he had first arrived, Aliera had always greeted him with a warm smile and pleasant conversation before Naruto headed off to help Iruka.

"It's going pretty well, I'm up for the jounin exams soon, I'll be gone next week. Just think! I could be a jounin. In a few years I may even get my own team!" It was well known among those who knew her that Aliera wanted children, but sadly she couldn't conceive due to an injury from a mission when she was 10 years old. Naruto had started to feel like something of a younger brother around her, even though she was about twice his age.

"Aliera Nee-Chan is gonna be a Jounin! Believe it!". It had only been two years since Naruto had started helping to teach, and though he was maturing, sometimes he seemed just the like 8 year old kid he was.

"Yup. Now be good while I'm gone, and be nice to the receptionist, I don't want to have to worry about angry coworkers beating on my little bro while I'm gone. Got that?"

"Yes Nee-chan. I gotta go now, time to help teach the brats."

"You're a brat too…"

"Nee-Chan!" Were the last words Naruto whined before entering the room for another day of lectures, keeping kids awake, and building his reputation as GTN.

(End Flashback)

Arriving at the academy, Naruto noticed most of the lights were off. Considering there was a strong overcast of dark gray clouds, the lack of lights confused Naruto. Heading off for the front desk, Naruto found the new receptionist, a cute woman about 22 years old, with a serious look on her face, staring at Naruto.

"What's going on?" The young blond inquired, noticing the mood and lowering his tone of voice.

"There was a disturbance last night over by the Uchiha district. Apparently only one was left alive, the rest killed by Uchiha, Itachi. The Hokage asked me to send you home when you arrived. Don't worry, there likely won't be any classes until this issue is sorted out."

"Itachi? Itachi killed the clan? How can that be? I need to figure out what's going on. Thank you." Muttered Naruto. Turning on his heel, the young prodigy walked out into the coming storm to find out what he could do. For the first time in his life, Naruto felt helpless. Though he didn't really care much for Sasuke, Naruto respected his skills as a prodigy. Also, not that the Uchiha was likely just like him, an orphan, Naruto felt a certain amount of sympathy for the boy, even if he wasn't exactly the most likeable guy. However, what burned at Naruto was that the Uchihas were just like the Hyuugas, intra-clan marriages, the less powerful serving the more powerful families of the clan, and the fact that Naruto hadn't known the massacre had occurred. Swearing to himself yet again, that he would change the clans of the village, so that no child would be thrown away, he slowly walked home.

That night, Sarutobi explained the incident to Naruto in detail, also explaining that Sasuke had suffered a very traumatic experience. Apparently his brother used a powerful genjutsu on the boy making him live through the massacre of his family, and thus Sasuke would no longer be in the class, until it was deemed that he was of sufficient mental stability to continue his work. Also, refusing to accept hospitality, the boy was put into a mental facility by force, if only to temporarily measure his mental capacity. Though Sasuke might not be in the class any longer, Naruto was not happy. The boy was not just as bad off as he had been at birth, if not worse. Unfortunately, classes didn't resume for a whole month, but from that point on, the class changed. Sasuke wasn't out for any normal power, he was out for the power to defeat his brother, and revive the clan. Though no one ever heard this from Naruto, that night he promised to himself. _Once I become Hokage, I will help him rebuild the clan, so that the Uchiha Massacre will not be a tragedy, it will be the birth of the new clan system of Konoha_.

Send in those reviews people! And don't worry, the fic is on track, this isn't gonna be off topic.


	6. Chapter 6

Seals of Fate

Still dodging that history project. Sigh. Anyway, Hinata will be in the fic, it is NaruHina after all. This may become a Harem, but it won't have more than 5 girls in it. Also, I promise this will be the **last** flashback chapter.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its contents. If I did, there would be a lot more Kenjutsu users.

Chapter 6: The Beginnings of Change.

Naruto got up, stretched, shut off his alarm, and went through his normal routine. Today was the day he would finally end his service as the once famed Great Teacher Naruto, the teacher's aid who gave advanced lectures on theories that even some of the teachers were having problems with. The blond who had encouraged his students to better, kept them at attention, and made sure they all got a proper education, even the fangirls. Four years had passed since the Uchiha Massacre. Though Sasuke was clearly not in a very stable state of mind, he was released in only a month and returned to the academy without having to attend any make-up courses. All returned to normal, except that Sasuke's fangirls now not only wanted to be with him, but they wanted to save his dark heart and bear his children so that they may revive his clan. The dark pre-teen had labeled himself an avenger, and the rumor around the village was that he planned to gain the power to defeat Itachi himself. Deciding he had meandered over this topic in his head long enough, Naruto tried to shut the thoughts out of his mind. As soon as Sasuke came back, Naruto had found that the Uchiha wasn't really interested in re-establishing his clan, which was made especially clear by his apt attention to Iruka-sensei and his apparent disinterest in girls, which made Naruto consider that the Uchiha may have become gay. Frowning disgustedly at the thought of the great Uchiha prodigy prancing around in a green tights, much like the ones that the over-enthusiastic 'youthful' Maito Gai wore, Naruto pushed the thoughts out of his head, only to be replaced by memories.

In the past four years, Naruto had made many improvements. He had learned all the D and C ranked jutsus in Ojji-san's dojo library, and had learned several B and A ranked ones. The only reason he didn't know more was that Naruto had devoted much of his time to Fuujinjutsu. Naruto's skill had reached the point where he could modify explosive tags to form specific shapes of explosions, increase the power, or even direct the explosion in a certain direction. Also, he could write the seals fairly quickly, being able to make a modified explosive tag every 20 seconds without fault. Also, Naruto discovered the art of chain-tagging. This was where one tag could set off seals with the chakra, releasing more seals, and more so that one kunai with an exploding tag could be used to blow up a whole building. However, explosive seals wasn't the only kind Naruto had discovered. Better weight and gravity seals were found among the scrolls, allowing Naruto to help his taijutsu further. Stamina seals were yet another worthy discovery. The theory of the stamina seal was that by draining life force, the user of the seal could quadruple their chakra supply. By making Kage Bunshins with a small amount of life-force in them, so insignificant that it would only cost Naruto a day of his life, Naruto could keep his Kage Bunshin 'alive' for hours. By putting a stamina seal on a Kage Bunshin, it became nearly impossible to tell apart from the original, as it could take many hits to dispel the clone. Discovering this when he was a mere 9 years old, Naruto used this technique to replace himself with clones and skip out to train taijutsu. With this additional training, Naruto could soon rival most Jounin with his speed and strength, excluding Maito Gai of course. In doing this, Naruto also added to and fully mastered his style, known as 'Dance of the Nine-Tailed Fox' which he had created a little over 5 years ago. With his Ninjutsu, Genjutsu, Taijutsu, and Fuujinjutsu progressing as it was, in addition to his more mature nature, knack for strategy, and the ability to lead, Naruto had gotten a good recommendation from Iruka, and today would be promoted.

On his way to the academy, for what was likely to be the last time in his life, he remembered what had happened just a few months after the massacre.

(Flashback no Jutsu: a few years ago)

"Hey brat." Said a familiar voice from the trees in the training area.

"Nee-chan! You're back!" was the enthusiastic response. The blond shinobi turned to see his self-proclaimed big sister looking down at him.

"Yup, and guess what? I passed. I'm a joun-" As soon as she said she passed, Naruto leapt into the air, landed on the branch, and embraced her. Patting him on the head, she gradually pulled away from the hug, and looked to him with concern, noticing his tears.

"Naruto, what's wrong?"

"This means you won't be around to hang out with me anymore!" Sobbing, Naruto turned away and was about to jump when arms wrapped around him again. Hanging there for a second, in her arms, he knew he'd miss having her around. Her smile had always brightened his day, and now he'd hardly get to see her, if ever.

"Silly little bro. Sure, I'll see you less, but I promise I'll see you on my days off. And I'll treat you to ramen, okay?"

After a brief pause, Naruto spoke again with a mischievous tone. "You're on a day off now, aren't you?"

"Yeah yeah, let's go." And with that, Naruto leapt off the branch, ranting about the ramen he was going to get. Holding her head in her hands, Aliera joined him and soon they were both chowing down on Ichiraku ramen.

(End Flashback)

Sure, the new receptionist was nice, and pretty, but she wasn't nee-chan. Aliera was now going to be a Jounin-sensei though, and maybe when they started doing C-ranked missions, Naruto would be able to join in. _Yes_ though Naruto _when they go on their first one, I'll get to spend at least a week just hanging out with nee-chan, maybe Hinata-hime too, if I'm lucky_. _Wait, hime? Where'd that come from?_ Though Naruto didn't notice it, he had been spending a lot more time with Hinata, helping her out more and talking with her. They never once mentioned the shower incident, but since then his feelings for her grew, and though he didn't know it, Naruto was falling in love.

Arriving at the academy, Naruto strode to the room where he had been going nearly every day for the last six years. Entering the room, Naruto just went to sit next to Hinata, on a desk as usual. There were 30 other people in the room, the people who had graduated and were going to be assigned their teams that day. After half an hour of idle chit-chat, Iruka entered the room. Before Naruto could make a hand-sign, everyone quieted and looked up front.

"Okay, I will now be announcing the teams for his year. Team 1…" (A/N: I don't want to make up names, they aren't important)

"Team 7 will be: Uchiha Sasuke…" Time seemed to drag on forever as every girl in the class who hadn't been called drew in their breath. "Haruno Sakura…" A loud shout of victory rang out as the pink-haired cherry blossom girl danced in victory. "And Sai". Everyone turned to look at his expression, only to see that he was once again just staring at the wall with a blank look.

"Your Jounin Sensei will be Hatake Kakashi.

"Team 8 will be: Hyuuga Hinata, Aburame Shino, and Inuzuka Kiba." This came as no surprise to the classroom, as few cared. Naruto was just happy his Hinata was with two friends.

"Your Jounin Sensei will be e'Kieron Aliera". This came as a surprise to Naruto, since he never figured that he would get so lucky to be able to see his Nee-chan and Hinata at the same time. All those years of teaching and he finally got something out of it, something real good.

"Team 10 will be: Nara Shikamaru, Akimichi Chouji, and Yamanaka Ino". Sighing, the downtrodden Ino slipped out of her chair and fell onto the floor, defeated. She had been placed with a lazy butt and a fat guy, while her rival Sakura was on Sasuke's team.

"Your Jounin sensei will be Sarutobi Asuma." At the mention of Sarutobi, all eyes turned to Naruto. After quickly explaining their relation, Naruto was off the hook.

Aliera arrived only a few minutes later to pick up her team, and when they left, Naruto was off to see the Hokage.

(With Aliera)

"Well, let's go find someplace quiet to talk, this won't take too long." Heading into an empty classroom, Aliera and the rest of team 8 sat down to talk.

"Well, if we're gonna be a team, we have to know about each other. Here, I'll start. My name is Aliera e'Kieron, and I am a jounin of Konoha. I like ramen, kids, and learning more kenjutsu. I dislike egotists and perverts. My hobbies are listening to music, reading, and hanging out with my friends _'particularly Naruto_'. My dreams for the future are to adopt a kid and be on part with one of the Mist's seven swordsmen."

Turning her attention to the Inuzuka, she said "hey mutt, introduce yourself". Growling at the implied statement that he is a dog, he hastily started.

"My name is Inuzuka Kiba. I like reading manga, playing with Akamaru, and…" blushing, Kiba briefly examined Aliera's body. On that day she was wearing a tight blue jounin outfit with a green vest and her sword lay beside her. She was crouching, and when his view reached her legs, they disappeared, and he was smacked o the head by a large fist.

"Ow! What was that for?" he growled pitifully.

"I said I didn't like perverts. Now keep your eyes off, I'm not a show for you." Aliera said reproachfully. Then nodding to him, the beastly boy continued.

"I dislike stuck-up girls like you" Another bop to the head. Taking a more respectful tone out of fear for his health, he once again continued. "I don't like people who make fun other others and those that insult my clan for its practices. My hobbies are playing with Akamaru, hanging out with friends, and learning new jutsus. My dream for the future is to become the head of my clan and help Naruto become Hokage and reform the clan system.

_So he's heard of Naruto's dream, eh? Interesting_. "Okay, now you, in the coat."

"I am Aburame Shino. I like bugs. I dislike people who kill bugs. My hobby is learning my clan's bug techniques. My dreams for the future are to become head of my clan and creating new bug techniques" He spoke in a monotone voice, which slightly unnerved Aliera. _Great, a bug user. Bugs are… gross… Well, at least he's supposed to be pretty good, at least he won't be problematic_.

Taking the initiative, the girl began to talk in a way that would be considered un-characteristic of her just a few years ago. "My name is Hyuuga Hinata. I like Naruto-kun, practicing my taijutsu, and visiting with friends. I dislike arrogant people, and my clan because of the way it has separated me from my cousin. My hobbies are practicing the Jyuuken and reading. My dreams for the future are fixing the Hyuuga clan, and helping Naruto-kun so h-he…" after a long pause and her growing blush, she turned away from the group.

Sighing, Aliera decided to just get this thing over with. "Okay, now that we know each other, I suggest you go home and train, and make sure you get a good night's rest. Tomorrow, meet me at training ground 14 for your Genin test."

"Wait! I thought we already did the genin test? We have the forehead protectors!" Kiba yelled, much to the surprise of Hinata and Shino who were both rubbing their injured ears.

"Kiba, you don't have to yell. She's right here." Shino stated in a surprisingly calm voice. Before Kiba could tell Shino off, Aliera cut in.

"No, you passed the academy exam. That was to make sure you were ready for the genin exam. This test is to see if you are good enough to become Genin. I must warn you though, this test has a 66 rate of failure. Only 9 of the rookies will pass this test, meaning only three teams. The rest of you will all be sent back to the academy. Meet me at the training ground at 9 AM sharp, and don't eat, you'd throw it all up anyway."

With a wink, Aliera picked up her sword, Kie, strapped it to her back, and shunshinned away. Splitting up, the three members of team 8 said their good-lucks and good-byes, and went off to eat, train, or in Hinata's case, find Naruto.

(With Naruto)

"Ne? Ojji-san, can I have my vest now?" Naruto was bouncing up and down in the Hokage's office. Having waited patiently for half an hour for the old man, Naruto was beginning to lose patience.

"OJJI-SAN! Come on! You said I would get it today!"

"Alright, alright. Naruto, I'll just finish these later." Pushing the accursed paper work off to the side, the Hokage turned his attention to the boy in front of him. Reaching into his desk, he pulled out the vest he had put there last night. Removing it from the desk and tossing it to Naruto, the young boy flung it on, smiling brilliantly, his teeth glinting in the morning sun.

"Now Naruto, you do lack experience. I know you've trained hard these last 8 years, and you could probably pass as a Jounin with your skills, but to become a truly good shinobi, you need field experience, and to work in a team. Therefore, for the next six months you will be working with one of this year's teams. Tomorrow night I'll tell you what teams you can join out of the three that will pass. Then you can choose from them which one you would like to join."

"If Aliera-nee-chan's team passes, I'm with them. No question about that." The boy said with confidence. "And they will pass. After all, I taught them didn't I?" The Hokage had to mask his laughter at that. Yes, Naruto had taught them some, but they had not learned from him entirely.

"You know, you were just an aid. An exceptional aid, but I think they learned from Iruka as well. That's another thing you can work on, being humble. Get too cocky and you'll lose every battle. Since I don't have anything else for you, you have today and tomorrow off. Now go train or something brat" The Hokage told Naruto in a playful tone.

Naruto frowned for a brief moment, but then it turned into his radiant smile. "Thanks Ojji-san. Later!" And with that, Naruto shunshined out, leaving a Hokage, who was once again baffled at Naruto's skill. He'd never seen him use the Shunshin (body flicker) technique before.

:Leaving the tower, Naruto abruptly ran into just the person he was looking for. He was surprised that she had come, considering what happened during their chit-chat earlier.

(Flashback no Jutsu: earlier that day)

"Hinata-chan, ano, I was wondering if you'd uh… come visit me at the Hokage t-tower today. Y'know, after y-you meet up with your team?" Naruto spoke in a low, nervous tone. Hinata looked somewhat flustered. She had never heard Naruto stutter before. The fact that he was blushing, even lightly, just confused her more.

"Uhh… y-yeah. Sure."

Over-eager to get started on the right foot, Naruto moved to hug her, but tripped. Falling, he grabbed onto something, anything for support. However, all he felt was something round and soft. Underneath him was Hinata, and he was holding her left breast in his left hand. Quickly getting up, he reached down, blushing furiously, he lifted her up. Muttering an apology, he turned away and sat on the desk again, eyes glued to the floor.

Right then, before any more awkwardness could occur, Iruka walked in. _It was as if he had timed it so that I couldn't say anymore than that_ Hinata thought, looking suspiciously at the blond, with a blush on her face as well.

(End Flashback)

"Naruto-kun. Y-you wanted to speak with me?"

"Ahem, uh… yeah. Follow me?" Nodding, she agreed. He led the way for them, walking for a good five minutes until they reached a secluded portion of the park near the Hokage tower. They hadn't spoken a word, he just took her hand, which she blushed at, and led her on. Reaching a rather large tree, he leaned against it, motioning for her to do so as well, which she did.

"Hinata-chan, w-would you… go out with me on a date tonight?"

_Go out on a date?_ Hinata thought, completely shocked. She blushed a deep red, she had been dreaming of this moment for many days now, and now that it had come, she didn't know what to say. She knew what she wanted to say, but her mouth complying and forming coherent words seemed beyond her. Reverting back to her shy-girl-watching-from-afar days, she simply nodded.

"Really?" he asked, as if the nod was not a definite answer, and partially because he really didn't expect her to agree.

Managing to make her mouth work, she spoke. "Y-yes. I'd l-love to…"

"Great! I'll come by and pick you up at five." Then hugging her briefly causing her to squeal, he made off for his apartment to get ready. Tonight would change his life.

Trying to pull herself out of the puddle of happiness she had become, Hinata made her way back to her house. Brushing past her father still in a daze, she walked into her room, then yelled for the whole Hyuuga household to hear "**YES!!**", then began to get ready for her date.

Reviews ppl! Reviews! Harrrr!


	7. Chapter 7

Seals of Fate

Thanks for the review ppl, and keep them coming. This fic is right on track and I'll try to keep them coming at a pretty regular basis. After all, it doesn't take all that long to write these things. For reference, most chapters will probably be 2000 to 4000 words, and I'll update at least once a week. These first few days I'm writing a lot just because I have lots of ideas, and I desperately want to get to his bloodline, as I'm sure the rest of you are curious as well.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its contents. If I did, then I wouldn't be writing this fic, cause I'd be rich.

Now, without further ado, the next chapter.

Chapter 7: A heaven, before hell.

Hinata was running frantically about her room. Her father had pushed her to train as soon as she got home, and now she only had half an hour to prepare for her date with Naruto. _Why must I be so plain, I don't even have the time to look good_. Hopping into the shower, she drenched herself with the warm water, washed her hair to silky perfection, and stepped out lightly in a pink robe which hugged her curves nicely. Moving over to the mirror, she slowly removed the robe, showing herself her body. She was not by any means ugly, and it had been a long time since she had cared much about her looks, but this was Naruto. This was the guy that meant the world to her and dammit, she wanted to look good for him.

Searching through her wardrobe, she found that she had mostly ninja clothes. It wasn't much of a surprise, even as the Hyuuga heiress she hadn't attended that many events since she was considered weak in the eyes of her father. Her father, Hiashi. Was already considering making her younger sister Hanabi the new heiress, since her Byakugan was stronger than Hinata's. However, this did mean Hinata actually was weak. With Naruto around, she felt like she could do anything, and performed much better than she did when fighting against her father. Just one more reason to look good for Naruto that night. Eventually, Hinata took out a small black dress which hugged her body and reached down halfway to her knees. This dress was a few years old, yet still fit pretty well despite the shortness in length, and it still looked brand new as it hadn't been worn very often. To compensate for the length issue, she took out a pair of light blue jeans and slipped them on. They were faded some, and not very formal, but Hinata suspected Naruto was probably gonna try to take her out for ramen. Though it wouldn't be very fancy, any dinner with Naruto was still good. Noticing she only had five minutes left until he arrived, she put on some lipstick, also hoping in her head that there could be a repeat of that kiss in the shower all those years ago. However, thinking of this nearly caused her to faint, so she pushed the thought out of her mind and decided to finish up and wait by the door for her prince to arrive. Hinata Hyuuga had a date.

(With Naruto)

Naruto rushed home. Deciding to get in a little training, even though he didn't really need it, he produced 1000 clones and sent them off to work on some of the harder fuujinjutsu theories on human sealing he had found. This area hadn't had a specialist since the Konoha/Iwa war when the last master disappeared in the combat. What was hard for Naruto to understand was why this field of knowledge had been abandoned. It was clearly very powerful, if difficult to use, and with enough experience, such seals could be used in combat. So be able to beat an enemy ninja with just a touch and some chakra (well, a lot of chakra), Naruto found he could seal away enemies rather than fight them. It seemed perfect, if only there was a quick way to do it.

Pushing the thoughts out of his mind, he created two more Kage Bunshin, put stamina seals on them, and went outside to spar. Having perfected his 'Dance of the Nine-Tailed Fox', Naruto was now just working on his speed. Naruto had long since started using gravity and weight seals, and when they were all released, Naruto could match Maito Gai's speed. However, if Gai were to start opening the Gates, Naruto would become quickly overwhelmed. Still, this did not deter Naruto from training. Increasing his gravity seals by one more times gravity, bringing it up to 25 times normal, and bringing the weights on his ankles and fists up to 300 pounds each, from 250 each, Naruto began his training once again. At 4:00 PM. beaten, cut, and tired, Naruto dispelled his stamina-seal enhanced clones and went inside to take a long, hot shower.

By the time Naruto finished his shower, all his cuts and bruises had healed, which would have surprised most people, but Naruto was just used to it. He had always been a fast healer, the fact that this was nearly 1000 times the healing rate of a normal person did not disturb him, though it was a curious aspect of his life. He dried off, and began looking through his wardrobe. As the adopted son of the Hokage, Naruto could have had a wide range of clothing, but for the most part he just had some different colored tank tops, T-shirts, ninja pants, and jeans which he wore for training, and thus had rips and holes in most of them. However, having planned ahead, he had bought some new clothing the previous day to wear just for this occasion.

Snickering at how this would likely cause Hinata to faint, he pulled on his clothes. Noting the time was 4:45, he stepped out of the estate and headed off for the Hyuuga complex, arriving just a few minutes later. Seeing the guards, he addressed them with a respectful bow, and stated his business.

"Good evening. I am here to pick up Hinata for a meeting of sorts, may I go see her?"

The guards activated their byakugans, then nodding to each other, they stepped aside and moved around the building, giving the young man some privacy. Knocking on the door, Naruto called out "Hinata!". A few moments later, the door was pushed open by a shy girl his height, with white eyes, who couldn't possibly be Hinata.

She was wearing a short black dress with jeans underneath which hugged her hips, showing off her feminine body. The dress was tight around both the waist and chest, indicating that it was likely fairly old, but Naruto greatly appreciated it nonetheless. Scanning her body, he noticed she was wearing normal sandals instead of her ninja ones, and that her toenails were a pretty pink color. Her eyes making their way up her gorgeous figure again, he noticed her hair which looked incredibly soft, and the blush that was breaking onto her cheeks.

Hinata didn't think she could believe her eyes either. She was almost tempted to activate her Byakugan to make sure it wasn't a henge, but didn't because the she had felt the guards' chakra spikes earlier which indicated they had already checked. The man standing before her looked almost as if he was sculpted from stone. She noticed he was taller than her by an inch or two, putting him at roughly 5'2", fairly tall for their age. His hair was golden, as if the sun had created it from its rays, and was short but growing longer, spiky and flowing down the back of his neck. He also had odd whisker-mark scars on his face, which made him look cute, yet wild at the same time. Scanning up and down his body, she took in his figure. He was wearing a tight black muscle shirt, with a white dress shirt over it, unbuttoned. It was mildly formal, and looked pretty darn good on him. She could even see his muscles underneath his shirt, and the way that every time he took a breath it seemed like the shirt would simply burst to pieces. He also had on light blue faded jeans, coming down to his feet, on which he wore gray sneakers with oranges lines coursing around the edges.

Hinata then felt a light tap on her shoulder, and looked up in surprise and embarrassment at being caught eyeing him. However, he washed all embarrassment from her when he spoke.

"Hinata, you're beautiful."

"T-thanks Naruto-kun. You are handsome as well."

Looking down at her, he reached under her chin and moved her face up to see his own. Thinking he was going to kiss her, she complied, but only saw that he was wearing a brilliant smile, and not moving her forward.

"Come on, Hinata-chan, let's go. We don't want to be late for the movie!"

Once again complying without a word, they made their way towards the theaters, engaging in small-talk about jutsus and Aliera since she was now her sensei.

(2 hours later)

The date was going well for the two kids. The movie hadn't been great, but they were more focused on having fun, and what was going on between them. Several times during the movie, Naruto and Hinata's hands had met in the popcorn bag, and soon they just left their hands above it, holding one another's hands and enjoying the softness. Once it ended, the two left the theater, and Naruto was soon leading Hinata wordlessly off to Ichiraku. Wondering what was going on, Hinata was tempted to ask, but not tempted enough to speak because then he might let go of her hand. Reaching Ichiraku, Naruto turned to Hinata.

"I figured you weren't all that full from just the popcorn and soda, so I thought we could…"

"I'd love to have ramen, Naruto. Come on!"

Playfully moving ahead of him, Naruto had to jog to catch up and they both soon entered the ramen bar.

"A large Miso for me!" Naruto shouted to the back. They were the only ones there, and their privacy would be respected, unless…

"And a large shrimp for me please." Hinata chimed in.

Noticing the second voice, Ayame Teuchi came out of the back and saw the couple. Though Hinata had been there with Naruto before, that was during the day, and neither had been in such nice clothing. Eyeing Naruto with a mischievous glint in her eye, she said:

"It will be only a few moments, we wouldn't want to keep our favorite customer or his girlfriend waiting."

Hinata blushed at the 'girlfriend' comment and looked away and down, attempting to hide it. However, it was to no avail. Naruto caught sight of the blush as well, and sputtering from the comment, he turned to Ayame to respond.

"Ayame-chan! It's just our first date, give me a break!"

Giving a fake sigh at the comment, Ayame turned away for a brief moment, then head to the back room. She returned a minute later with two steaming bowls of ramen, only to find the odd couple doing something she would have never dreamed of. Hinata had just reached over and kissed Naruto on the cheek, then whispered in his ear. She couldn't hear it, but Naruto certainly had.

"Am I your girlfriend now?" It was uncharacteristically bold of Hinata, but then, she HAD tackled him nude in a shower stall, who knew what may happen next. Naruto's thoughts however, were more focused on that fact that she had just kissed him, if seemingly without spectators, in a public place. Wrapping his mind around the idea, he turned to Hinata, a very obvious blush on his cheeks. However, before he could say a word, Ayame had reached over and put down their ramen in front of them.

"Itadakimasu!" Naruto exclaimed with enthusiasm. However, unlike the normal eating fashion of one Sarutobi Uzumaki Naruto, he was eating like a normal person, with manners. It was quite a sight for both of them to see, but they quickly ignored it, Hinata appreciating that he had the capability to eat normally, even if sometimes it seemed beyond him.

Finishing their ramen, Naruto began to take Hinata home. They walked in silence, both still a bit uncomfortable from what had happened at the ramen bar. They soon reached the front of the compound. The lights of the main house were out, and the guards weren't there, suggesting that they had either sensed the couple coming and had given them privacy, or were simply switching posts. Either way, it created a perfect situation for Hinata, who decided to use the opportunity. Turning to Naruto, she looked up at him, and a blush formed.

"Ano, Naruto… are you okay with being, y'know, my… b-boyfriend?"

Immediately blushing even further, the young blond looked down at her, he told her "Close your eyes". Obediently, she did so, and soon felt him grasp her around the waist. He leaned in, ever so slowly, and pressed his lips to Hinata's.

Feeling his soft lips, she was surprised, but only briefly. She began to kiss back, the heat between them rising. Soon, she felt a tongue running along her lower lip. He was simply begging for entrance, and not willing to deny him, she opened her mouth. Soon, they were locked in a deep kiss, neither willing to let go, until they broke away five minutes later, gasping for breath.

"Does that answer your question?"

Smiling, she reached up and whispered in his ear: "Thank you", then kissed him on the cheek and walked inside. She was soon laying on her bed, thinking briefly. _It can only get better_ was her final thought, before drifting into a deep, blissful night of sleep.

Just like her, in his bed a few miles away, Naruto smiled at thoughts of Hinata, and fell asleep.

That's the chapter folks. Next time: 'The Hell That Came.' Now click that button and review me! All the cool kids are doing it!! Oh, and sorry that this chapter was a little short. However, I'm writing the next chapter already, so please be patient! Tongues is a good boy!


	8. Chapter 8

Seals Of Fate

I have gotten several recommendations from people saying that they would like this fic to be rated M. Unfortunately, I have no experience in writing lemons, but I know someone who does. It will be a while before anything gets that extreme, but as a safety precaution, I will change it anyway. Secondly, I have not memorized the series, if you guys notice some minor errors, please cut me some slack. Lastly, I'm sorry to disappoint you guys, but Aliera isn't going to be part of the harem, I have other plans for her.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its contents. If I did, Sasori wouldn't have lost to the useless pink-haired nimrod and the old lady.

Chapter 8: The Hell That Came.

Hinata woke up late the next morning, at 8:00 AM. She had had an excellent night's sleep, and woke up remembering the soft caress of Naruto's lips. The warm feeling of his tongue brushing against hers. The way he gently stroked her… And then she noticed something sticky between her legs. Blushing crimson, she lifted the covers only to see her essence leaking out through her panties. Never before had she had such a wet dream before. It was as if a dam broke and the waters simply rushed out. Quickly leaving the room, she briefly explained that she needed a new pair of sheets to a passing housemaid, and asked her not to tell anyone. Showing a knowing grin, having seen from the shadows what occurred last night, the housemaid nodded, and went about her assignment. Hinata, on the other hand, simply went to the bathroom, showered, returned to her room, dressed in her ninja clothes, and set out for training field 14. Strangely, it seemed to her as if much more time had passed since the team meeting, even if it had only been yesterday.

Arriving at the field at 8:55, she noticed her teammates Kiba and Shino were already there. Now they were just waiting for Aliera. There was silence, none of them talked, all expecting their sensei to show up soon.

At 9 AM sharp, Aliera shunshined into the middle of the rather barren training field. It was just one gigantic clearing, with a few sparse groves of trees scattered around. It was a circular clearing, a little rough around the edges, and the plant life grew smaller until next to nothing at the center. It was one of the smaller training fields, only a few hundred yards in diameter, and left basically no places to hide. Aliera simply stood in the middle of the clearing, leaning on her sword which was now glowing bright green and seemed to be pulsating chakra.

"Glad you all showed up. I figured I would get straight to the point, here I have two bells and a timer. When this timer reaches noon, it will go off, that is how long you have to get these bells from me. The one of you that doesn't get the bell will be tied to a tree, while being forced to watch his or her teammates eat. Also, they'll be sent back to the academy." She finished with a playful tone, waggling her finger at them.

"WHAT?!" Kiba yelled, far too loudly. If Shino could be bothered to speak, he'd pull a Shikamaru and call Kiba troublesome, but seeing as they were a team, he was not willing to do so. It would be troublesome in itself.

"One of you is guaranteed to fail. Now, go!" She shouted, dropping the timer on the ground, she vanished.

Kiba was the first to move. Trying to catch her scent, he found it led down the path that led back into Konoha. With his dog bouncing on his head, the young Inuzuka performed a few hand seals. "Ninpo: Shikakyu no Jutsu" (Four legs technique), and with a burst of speed, he disappeared as well. At this, Hinata turned to try to talk to Shino, but found he had disappeared as well. Shrugging, Hinata followed Kiba's trail, watching his progress with her Byakugan activated. Unbeknownst to them, they were being watched.

(With Aliera)

_Wow, they were easier to lose than I thought_. She was currently speeding through the trees, now traveling just beyond the tree-line, parallel to Konoha. _With a team made for tracking, I'll have to at least make it a bit difficult_. And with this thought, the 20 year old, brown haired, beautiful kunoichi broke of from the tree line, henged into a civilian, and began to mix with the smells of the street. It had only been 10 minutes, 2 hours, 50 minutes left until her team passed or failed.

(With Kiba)

Having found the spot where Aliera must have been just a few moments ago, he looked around, confused. The smells of Konoha made it hard to find Aliera's specifically. Noticing a minute ago, he decided to stop moving and wait for her. After all, he may be an arrogant Inuzuka, but he could recognize when his skills were not sufficient.

(With Hinata)

Seeing Kiba stop moving up ahead, she decided to meet up with him. Maybe he had decided to wait for her, and it would be rude to ignore him, even if he was supposed to be competition in this test. He came into view of her normal eyes, and she soon stopped next to him.

"Kiba-san, I thought you were following her."

Narrowing his eyes slightly at the fact that he had lost her trail, he scowled, then repressed it, smiled at Hinata, and spoke to her.

"I was. She got away, and I can't seem to pick out her scent, there are too many around."

"Ah, Kiba-san. If you would help me, we could both get a bell. I mean, we're team mates, aren't we?"

Looking at her with surprise, considering he was supposed to be her opponent in this endeavor, he reluctantly agreed. As long as he got his bell, there wouldn't be any problems.

Hinata, sighing with relief at his agreement, re-activated her Byakugan and leapt off into the town to look for their sword-wielding sensei.

(With Aliera)

_Sheesh, it had been an hour and still no one close. What kind of tracker team is that? I didn't even mask my smell. And that Hyuuga kid has passed over me twice now, WITH the supposed tracker_. Judging from her experience, she didn't believe she was being unreasonable. Had Hinata checked every area thoroughly with her Byakugan, she would have found her by now. Still, that Shino kid had her worried. She had found no trace of him until right then.

(With Shino)

_I'm glad I placed that kikai bug on her as soon as she arrived. I figured it would be some kind of test having to do with tracking. From the looks of it, that's what this team is built to do. They'd have to give us a sensei who's good at tracking… I wonder why we got her?_

Abandoning such thinking, as at that moment it was illogical to think about something currently irrelevant, Shino stayed a mile away from Aliera's location. He figured the best way to get the bells would be to send bugs to distract her, then get a bell for himself with the bugs, but without knowing her abilities, would it be a waste of time? Dwelling on this lack of information, he decided to keep observing until his team mates engaged her, so that he could know something of her abilities.

(With Kiba and Hinata)

"Kiba-san, I've found her. She's a few hundred feet to our left, standing by that fruit stand. She's eating an apple, can you see her?"

"Uhhh, the woman in the red dress? Yeah…" Staring at her, he began to drool, imagining what kind of fun things he could do with a woman like that. Even Akamaru sweat-dropped, as Hinata privately wondered how the 12 year old had become so perverted.

However, he was soon hit in the back of the head, and turning around he found Aliera, with her sword now just under his head, the blade pressed to his throat. "Freeze." She said in an icy tone. "I told you, I'm not your eye candy. Let's see if you can find me again." And with that, she quickly disappeared.

(With Shino)

"Serves him right for being so unobservant." Shino muttered under his breath. A bug landed on his hand and crawled around. It was a kind of bug he had never seen before, being slightly larger than an average dragonfly, bright red, and with brown stripes down its body. He was promptly engulfed in a cloud of smoke, as a Aliera appeared before him, apparently having henged into the bug, since it was no longer there.

"Seems you need to be more observant as well." She stated, then placed the kikai bug he'd had on her back onto his hand, and shunshined off, back to the training ground.

(With Aliera)

_Well, their tracking skills are good, but how are they at fighting?_ Smirking, the young jounin sheathed her sword, and got into a basic fighter's stance, as the first of the three arrived, Shino.

"Well, I am impressed by your intellect, but it will take more than that to get these bells from me."

Not showing any emotion, the Aburame merely nodded, and charged, throwing kunai at the jounin. Dodging, she announced to him "First lesson, Taijutsu," Then, with speed the genin could barely follow, Aliera rushed past him, tripping him with her left foot. Then, spinning on her heel, she used the momentum to hurl a punch into the genin's back, sending him flying off to where she had been, just moments earlier. With surprising agility, Shino righted himself and landed on his feet. Grimacing at the pain, he took up his stance again. Moving through hand seals at an average speed, a clone appear next to him. Both he and the clone rushed the jounin, taking either side of her. When they got close, Aliera ducked backwards into a bridge, spun on her hands, and kicked both the original and the clone in the face, only for both to explode into clouds of bugs. Quickly pulsing chakra from her sword, the jounin sent a wave of green light off to her right, which the bugs promptly followed, before returning to their master, who charged. Breaking out of her spin, Aliera jumped straight at the genin, only to disappear and re-appear behind him, chopping him in the back of the next and knocking him out cold for at least an hour. There was about half an hour left on the timer.

Next, both the Inuzuka and Hyuuga arrived, only to see Shino dying from mortal wounds, knives driven into his body and a sword through his back. Standing atop the broken young genin was Aliera, chuckling at the sight of their awed faces. However, Hinata quickly noticed something was wrong, and activating her Byakugan, she saw through the Genjutsu. Sending a chakra pulse into Kiba, he broke it as well.

_Hmm, so the two of them are working as a team. Well, it's a start_. "Well? Are you just gonna stand there gawking like idiots, or are you gonna get these bells from me?"

Stupidly taking the bait, Kiba charged, only to see Aliera making seals. "Second lesson, Genjutsu".

Kiba was enveloped in a world of cats. Black cats, white cats, orange, brown, blue, purple, cats of all colors, sizes, shapes, hair, or lack thereof, and all of them were playing. Jumping to and fro, playing with balls of twine, kittens and old cats napping, and more. And more. And more. And MORE!

Hinata saw Kiba freeze in place, then let loose a bloodcurdling scream, before falling unconscious. What Aliera did to Kiba, she would never know, but she knew that whatever it was, it would probably give him nightmares for a while.

"Third lesson, Ninjutsu." And with that announcement, Aliera began to make seals. Finishing on the 26th seal, she announce "Fuuton: Pulverizing Shield technique". Forming around Aliera's arms were two large shields made of wind chakra, that looked like a defensive technique, but could also serve as a good offensive technique. Then, she charged, though at a much slower pace than she had used against Shino.

Taking her Jyuuken stance, Hinata activated her Byakugan, and didn't see, to her surprise, any of Aliera's tenketsu. Apparently the shield jutsu she was using had enough chakra in it to block the tenketsu from sight.

Aliera noticed that Hinata had not used a jutsu, and decided to take the offensive. Jumping high into the air, she began to spin at massive speeds, the shields around her turning her into a human buzz-saw. Dodging swiftly out of the way, Hinata watched Aliera touch the ground, only to create a large crater, and bounce up into the air again. Hinata only had the basic academy jutsus, and a few small ones that Naruto had taught her. However, thinking about Naruto, Hinata got an idea. An inventive idea. Creating several seals, the young Hyuuga cried out "Katon: Fireball Jutsu" and the small flame rushed at Aliera. Not being able to dodge easily while in the air, Aliera was engulfed by flame which intensified due to the wind chakra in the air around her. Lightly scorched, She broke the technique and lunged forward, hitting the Hyuuga girl in the stomach, knocking her unconscious, but not quite setting her on fire.

(Two hours later)

As if on cue, all three members of team 8 woke up, one of them struggling against the ropes that bound him to a log, that wasn't there last time he looked at the training field. Hinata and Shino just sat up, opening their eyes to see Aliera standing before them, holding two boxed lunches.

"I'll give you one more shot at this. You two may eat, and afterwards the three of you may come at me again and try to get the bells. You are not allowed to, under any circumstance, feed Kiba. He didn't even get close to a bell."

Adding a little killing intent to reinforce her words, she walked away. Once out of range, the two began to eat, but then a loud rumbling noise echoed throughout the clearing.

Looking at Kiba, Hinata was about to offer him her food, but before she could, Shino reached up and offered him some.

"Um, guys, thanks really, but you'll get caught, we can't risk it!"

"Kiba. It is illogical to refuse. I don't sense her presence in the area, and besides, you're useless to us if you're hungry."

Picking up a piece of sushi with his chopsticks, Shino placed the food into Kiba's mouth. He quickly chewed and swallowed, only to nearly throw it back up when he felt the killing intent coming from directly in front of them.

"I SAID YOU COULDN'T FEED HIM! WHAT KIND OF TEAM ARE YOU DISOBEYING ORDERS?!" Aliera screamed at them, adding about 1/8th of her total killing intent, enough to make Kiba literally wet his pants.

Shino responded calmly "If we are to be a team, we have to help each other out, despite consequences."

Shaking with fury, Aliera turned to the other two. "Do you agree with this sentiment" she asked, in an icy, stern tone of voice.

Both nodded in agreement, Kiba continuing to wet his pants.

"Okay the, you pass." Her suddenly sunny disposition caused all of them to sweat-drop. Then, scanning all three of them, she spoke in a sage-like voice.

"There is a monument here in Konoha, dedicated to those who gave their lives for their teams. I have friends, comrades on that monument, and not one of them died from a lack of teamwork, they sacrificed their lives for the sake of others, and for that they are the most highly respected of ninjas. Another jounin once told me, on a mission 'Those who break the rules are scum, but those who abandon their team mates are worse than scum'. Remember that. Now go home, and Kiba, you can get yourself down, I'm not going anywhere near your stained pants."

Looking over at the Inuzuka with surprise, Hinata broke out laughing, and Shino simply chuckled. Kiba, bright red from embarrassment just yelled "What?! She put me in a hell made of cats! Who wouldn't be afraid of a world of cats?!"

Walking away, his team simply laughed. Fortunately for him, Akamaru was used to the smell, and chewed through the ropes, freeing him so that he could return to his house, jumping through the window so at to keep the fact that he wet his pants secret from his mother and sister, who would have never let him hear the end of it. Hell had come, in the form of cats and a psychotic genjutsu.

Please review! I look forward to seeing the comments on this. Next chapter the Wave Arc begins, and we may finally get to see Naruto's bloodline limit. Also, currently guaranteed to be in the harem: Hinata, Temari, Ten Ten, Anko. I will choose only two more maximum.

Review button is here. Click it and you get good things. Like fast chapter updates.


	9. Chapter 9

Seals of Fate

Hey guys. So very many recommendations for FemHaku being in the harem, I'll consider it, but I make no promises. Sorry that this chapter is a bit shot, but I have other stuff to do too... like work...

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its contents. If I did Zabuza would not be wearing such weird pants. Seriously, what's up with those pants?

Chapter 9: Demon in the Mist

It had been about four months since team 8 had graduated and officially become genin. They had done mostly D-ranked missions and trained, with no C-ranks under their belt. All the other genin teams, except for team 7, had done at least one C-ranked mission. Aliera had told them not long ago "When you feel ready for a C-ranked mission, tell me, and I'll let you try. You've trained hard, I think you've earned it."

At this, the Inuzuka boy had jumped up and down, cheering. The D-ranked missions were so boring, and every time they had to get the Daimyo's cat, he always thought back to that world of cats. His bladder control improved, but he still couldn't touch the cat without wetting his pants. However now they could let that cat go about its business, it was time for a C-rank.

Entering the Hokage tower, team eight saw Naruto heading upstairs to get a mission. Team eight actually saw Naruto rarely now, he was always doing missions, going with either other rookie or experienced genin teams, or doing missions in two-man teams with other chuunins, or just plain training. Not much has changed about him in the last few months. He was now about 5'3", pretty tall for a 12 year old, and wore a black muscle shirt, with the green vest over it, and black ninja pants, along with black combat boots with metal on the bottom to aid the force of his kicks. Unlike many chuunin and jounin, Naruto's vest was full of scrolls, every slot had a storage scroll in it that contained everything from a month's worth of food, to weapons, to his scroll consisting entirely of modified exploding notes. Stopping, he looked over at them and smiled.

"Hey guys, you wouldn't happen to be here for a C-rank, would you?"

He'd asked them this every time he saw them, every few days. Though Naruto liked doing missions, he could not join them for D-ranked ones because the village needed him to do other, higher leveled missions. Though he didn't expect them to actually be there for one.

"Actually, yes. Would you like to join us?"

This invite, though completely unnecessary as he would've found a way to go with them anyway, was nice to hear for once.

The thought of Naruto-kun joining them on a mission out of the village sparked Hinata's interest especially. They could finally get away from the village people or her father spying on them without being suspicious. The last few months, Naruto had taken Hinata out on several dates, all ending in about the same way, a deep, long kiss. However, Hinata's father had found out. Though he didn't hate Naruto for being the container of the Kyuubi, he didn't like him for it. He could be tolerated, but Hiashi wanted to know what was going on, and one time caught them nearly kissing. Since then, There had always been a Hyuuga main or branch member following them, giving them basically no privacy. Being alone with Naruto, out in the woods, away from prying eyes…

Everyone was staring at Hinata, her deep shade of red, and the small trickle of blood coming out her nose. Putting a hand on her shoulder, and shaking, Aliera snapped Hinata out of her funk. Looking around, the young Hyuuga heiress wiped her nose of the blood, and turning an even deeper shade of red that no one though was possible, she whispered "gomen."

"Now that that's out of the way, let's go get the mission. Naruto, come with us as well." Aliera spoke in an authoritative voice, and everyone complied.

Approaching the Hokage, Naruto and team eight put in a request for a C-ranked mission. What they were not expecting was for the Hokage to say: "Took you long enough."

Startled, the members of team eight looked at Iruka, whilst Naruto and Aliera smiled knowingly. Iruka, seeing the stares, decided to speak up.

"Your skill levels are at high-genin. I'm willing to bet, with your teamwork, that you could probably beat the other rookie teams. All you lack is experience. That is why we will be sending you on a C-ranked mission. Your duty is to protect a certain individual. Send him in."

An old man with a pipe, a straw hat, and plain brown and gray clothing, stepped into the Hokage's office. Looking at team eight and Naruto with indignation, he protested to the Hokage: "This is my protection? They're just a bunch a snot-nosed brats. Especially the brown haired kid, he looks like he'd wet his pants from fear if a black cat crossed his path."

This statement nearly sent Hinata into hysterics, before she realized where she was and held it in. Shino let low a low chuckle, Naruto looked confused as to why the statement was so funny, and Aliera was restraining Kiba telling him the village won't get paid and he'll fail the mission if he kills their charge.

The Hokage then spoke, quieting the room. "This is Tazuna, the bridge builder from the wave country. He is building a new bridge there, and needs protection. Your mission is to escort him to wave and guard him until the bridge is completed. This will be a several week mission, so pack accordingly."

"You heard the Hokage. Tazuna-san, meet us at the east gate in 2 hours, we will then set out for wave. The rest of you, report there in two hours. Pack a month's worth of supplies. You may go." Aliera stated in her authoritative voice once again.

(2 hours later)

Team eight and Naruto set out from Konoha with Tazuna. It would only take a few days to get to Wave country by foot and by boat. After traveling for a few hours, they walked passed on odd sight. A puddle was on the path, though it hadn't rained for days. All of them nodded to each other, and Aliera slipped to the back of the group. Predictably, as soon as they had passed the puddle, two ninjas with gauntlets and chains shot out of the puddle. Wrapping their chains around Aliera, they pulled, hoping to tear her to shreds. Performing a kawarimi, she escaped, but neither of the two attackers noticed, and charged the remaining genin and the chuunin.

Hinata, moving quickly with her Jyuuken, flipped to the side of one and hit him with two quick palm thrusts to his right arm, disabling it. Then, with a sweep kick, he fell, and Hinata hit him in the back of the neck, knocking him unconscious.

Meanwhile, Shino and Kiba were dealing with the second nin, while Naruto guarded Tazuna. Kiba charged the chuunin, going into beast form with his Shikakyu technique, and shouting "Tsuuga" (Whirling Fang technique) he slammed into the attacker. The force of the attack sent him sprawling back, right into Shino who delivered a strong kick to his head, knocking him out as well.

Clapping was heard around the path, as Aliera appeared from a tree. She shot Tazuna a look that said 'you have some explaining to do' and turned to her team.

"Well done. Tie them to the tree, our ANBU will find them. Now then, Tazuna, would you care to explain why exactly you have ninjas after you? C-ranks only include bandits and thugs. With ninjas after yo, this should be at least a B-ranked mission."

"Hold on, Hold on. I had to do it. You see, our country is very poor. Gatou, the businessman, I'm sure you've heard of him, has basically taken control of Wave. He controls all the ports, and since that is our only means of transport, he essentially controls the economy. He's made our country very poor, but that is what I am trying to fix. The bridge I'm building will allow us to make contact with the outside world. This is also why Gatou is after me. I knew he could hire ninjas, but we couldn't afford a higher ranked mission! Please, don't abandon us."

Thinking it over, Aliera turned to her team. "This mission will likely be an A-rank, considering those ninjas failed, Gatou will probably hire more. There will be ninjas on this mission whom only I can fight. If I tell you to saty back, you will do so. Now, knowing that, do you want to continue the mission?"

Her answer was several eager nods, excluding Naruto who had a look of concern, but nodded as well.

"Tazuna-san, we will complete the mission, on one condition. When your village gets the money to pay us, you will pay full price."

Nodding happily, Tazuna got up once again, and they set off.

(A few hours of traveling later)

Shino had just thrown a kunai into the bushes, stating he had seen something there. However, upon closer inspection, there was only one white rabbit. Naruto's intellect kicking in, he realized that at this time of year, that kind of rabbit would be brown, so as to camouflage itself. Not taking much more notice, they continued, but only moments later they found themselves walking through a thick cloud of mist. Aliera, sensing chakra in the mist, was on guard. Then, sensing something flying towards them, shouted for all to hear: "DUCK!"

Reacting quickly, team eight ducked down, and Naruto tackled Tazuna to the ground, just as a gigantic sword flew by, where their heads had been seconds before. The mist quickly cleared, and the sword was to be seen sticking out of a tree, with a man standing upon it. Standing about 6 feet tall, he had short spiky black hair, a Kiri headband, and a mask of bandages covering the lower half of his face. He was wearing no shirt, but had camo wristbands on his forearms. He was also wearing the most ridiculous striped blue pants, and matching camo leg warmers. All in all, he looked pretty ridiculous, and Naruto would've laughed if not for the killing intent the man was releasing.

Then Aliera's voice cut through the silence. "Momochi Zabuza, Demon of the Hidden Mist".

"Ah, I see you recognize me. That is quite an honor coming from 'Pathfinder' Aliera."

Wait, 'Pathfinder' Aliera? All the genin made double takes, looking at their sensei. She was known around the world as the greatest tracker of all time, and was also known for her blade, a sword which could supposedly steal people's souls with but a scratch. It was a weapon feared even by some of the seven swordsman, and would only allow her to use it, as it was bound to her soul as well. Unfortunately for them, Zabuza was not one of the ones who feared the sword.

"I am sorry that I must cut this meeting short, but you see, I have to kill that man. Kirigakure no Jutsu (Hidden Mist Technique)"

A mist, must thicker than the previous one, surrounded them all very, very quickly. Then, a burst of killing intent assaulted them from all sides. "Heart, Liver, Lungs…" By the time he'd finished speaking, the killing intent was so great you could practically hear Shino's bugs shaking in fear.

Aliera and Naruto, however, were not affected nearly as badly. Both of them had killed before, Aliera had had worse killing intents directed at her.

"And now, he dies." In a flash of movement, Zabuza was in front of Tazuna, inside the ring the genin had formed around the bridge builder for his protection. Swinging his sword down, he was intercepted by Aliera, who stuck her sword straight through it, only to have it burst into water.

"Mizu Bunshin" (Water Clones) Aliera muttered. Releasing a pulse of green chakra from her sword, the mist cleared. Then, rushing at a surprised Zabuza, the two engaged in a fierce kenjutsu fight.

Moving her sword up quickly, she attempted to slash across his chest. Zabuza side-stepped the strike, and spun around in a full circle, very quickly, forcing Aliera to move away. Charging at her, releasing the spin, Zabuza attempted to slash her legs out from under her, but she jumped. However, in doing this, she accidentally let her sword drop down, and it was batted away by the mighty head-cleaving sword. Leaping away, she whispered a chant to herself, making many, many hand seals.

"From the great sea of amorphia, we plunge down into the depths of life, we seek out love, hate, our being, but in the end, we all come back to amorphia. The plasma of life, we are nothing more than a river, flowing from the great sea." Her voice grew gradually, finally ending at a shout: "Verra! Grant me safety. Kinjutsu: Amorphia Taiga!" (Forbidden technique: Life Source River)

A wave of blue energy shot out from her hands, now forming an 'O' shape, at a speed that broke the sound barrier. Not having time to dodge, Zabuza held up his sword in advance, but screamed from the impact of the energy. After a few moments, the energy stopped, and Aliera knelt down on the ground, completely drained of all her chakra. However, Zabuza was in much worse shape. His arms, leg, torso, all of him had been burnt except for what little his sword had covered. Speaking of his sword… Zabuza no longer had one. It had vaporized from the force of the attack, and he had been left with no weapons left. Picking up her sword, Aliera moved to kill him, but was stopped by two needles entering Zabuza's neck. A hunter nin leapt down and picked up the body. Then spoke:

"Thank you for dealing with him. I've been waiting awhile to kill him"

"Wait, let me make sure he is dead."

Checking the pulse, Aliera felt none, and nodded her head.

"I will dispose of the body. Thank you again."

She then disappeared in a poof of smoke before Aliera could notice something was wrong. Naruto, however, easily noticed the problem. Turning to Aliera, he was about to voice his concern, when she suddenly collapsed. Picking her up, Naruto turned to the rest of them.

"Since she is apparently tired from chakra exhaustion, I will be in charge. Tazuna-san, we can stay at your house, correct?"

Nodding his head in the affirmative, Tazuna looked at Aliera with worry evident on his face. He needed ninja to protect them, but he didn't want any of them to die because of him. Sighing, Naruto noticed the looks of concern from team eight and Tazuna, and decided to speak.

"Don't worry, she will be fine. Now let's get to your home before anything else can happen."

(Elsewhere)

A young woman in a hunter-nin mask looked over the burned man before her. Picking up some medical instruments, she went to work on him, both pleased and angry. Pleased that he hadn't been killed by the soul-stealing sword, angry that she was not able to do much as he had commanded her to stay out of the fight unless absolutely necessary. She promised herself '_I will kill whoever did this to him. I swear it on my life_.'

Well, that's the beginning of the Wave Arc. Yes, Haku is a girl. Be prepared for another great chapter soon!

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	10. Chapter 10

Seals of Fate

Hey guys. Updates will now be every few days or so. I don't have much else to say other than I will eventually try to write a lemon… even though I don't know how. I'll ask one of my more perverted friends for help with that.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its contents. If I did, Itachi would be a pocky addict.

Enjoy!

Chapter 10: Training for the ones you love.

It had been only a few hours since they had arrived at Tazuna's house. It was rather large, two stories tall, with several guest rooms furnished for the ninjas to use. After setting Aliera down in her room, which she was to share with Hinata, Naruto and the rest of team eight went downstairs to eat and talk.

Approaching the table, they looked over Tazuna's family once again. Tazuna's daughter, Tsunami, was a very kind and pretty young woman, looked to be in her twenties or thirties, who cooked amazing meals considering what she had to make do with. Inari, Tazuna's grandson, was a resentful child, snorting at the ninjas, but never explaining why. Inari went to his room as soon as the ninjas entered the room. Naruto, his stomach grumbling, was the first to break the silence.

"Eh heh heh, ano… Can we get some food soon? Fighting kinda made me hungry…"

Looking at Naruto with displeasure, Kiba said "Whaddya mean fighting made you hungry, you haven't done any fighting the past few days!"

The rest of team 8 also shot Naruto accusing looks, as if he had been purposefully avoiding fights. However, Naruto was not one to take such looks lightly.

"If there had been a good time to do so, I would have. However, I wanted to see your teamwork and the last fight was only something Aliera could handle". Thinking to himself, Naruto added mentally '_actually, I probably could have taken him out permanently, but I felt no need to start another fight with that hunter-nin with Aliera in such a state_.

The bickering continued for quite awhile, until Tsunami set down curry in front of them. Digging in, all of them had smiles on their faces. It was, quite simply put, delicious.

"Thanks Tsu-chan!" Naruto shouted to her, while she blushed slightly, then turned away and scolded him. "Don't talk with your mouth full!".

Of course, the blush did not go unnoticed by one ninja, however she had tried to hide it. Kiba, ever the young lecher, spoke up in his 'I'm an innocent little boy' voice: "Tsunami-chan? Can I get seconds?"

"Of course. To protect someone you must be strong, and for that you must eat. Now go on, take more!" Tsunami leaned down in front of Kiba, holding out a bowl to allow him to take more curry. However, this also allowed Kiba to get an eye-full down her shirt, which was rather low-cut and hanging off of her. Seeing him leering, with the bit of drool coming out his mouth and the blush across his face, Tsunami realized what had happened.

"IF YOU WANT SECONDS THEN HERE YOU HENTAI!" Tsunami screamed, pouring hot curry onto the boy's pants.

Kiba was up in less than half a second, but before he could move, Hinata shouted "Suiton: Cleansing Water no Jutsu". Water from their glasses moved up and over, landing on the curry, washing it clean off and possibly saving Kiba's manhood. "Thanks Hinata-san…"

At the same time, Tsunami stormed out of the room, and Tazuna turned to Kiba with a surprisingly sympathetic smile.

"She doesn't take kindly to perverts… If I were you I'd be careful how I acted around her from now on…" After pausing for a moment, Tazuna added thoughtfully "She tried to do the same thing to me when she saw me reading Icha Icha Paradise. Now I can only read them when she does the shopping."

Hinata and Shino, growing increasingly uncomfortable as the conversation continued, stopped eating. Shino, being more annoyed at the time, said quietly "Not everyone likes girls y'know…"

At that, everyone stopped eating, and stared at the bug-boy, who, realizing what he had said, released bugs from himself. In a threatening tone, several octaves deeper than normal, and carrying great authority, decreed: "If what I just said ever leaves the room, you will all be devoured by my bugs, got that?"

All he saw were nods of agreement. They finished eating, and Naruto decided it would soon be time to wake Aliera up and tell all of them of the more important issues. Everyone went about their business, and two hours later they all met upstairs in Aliera's room.

"Uggh, uh… I feel like hell. What happened?"

"You used Amorphia Taiga (Life Source River) and passed out from chakra exhaustion shortly afterwards."

"Ah". Aliera rubbed her eyes and sat up. Looking around, she recognized her team and Naruto. "What happened to Zabuza?"

"He's still alive." All of team 8 looked at Naruto as if he was crazy.

"What do you mean he's alive? You saw what Aliera did to him, and that Hunter-nin went off to dispose of the body. Aliera even said he was dead." Kiba pointed out.

Naruto frowned at Kiba's stupidity, once again. "Hunter-nin's are supposed to dispose of bodies on location, taking only the head for identification, and possibly the weapon though it wasn't available in this case. Also, the Hunter-nin used senbon needles. It is very hard to kill someone with senbon, however putting someone in a near-death state is quite possible. Given the burns and his need to replace his weapon, Zabuza will probably be able to attack Tazuna again in about a week. Aliera, do you agree with my assessment?"

Aliera nodded, then said "That jutsu took a lot out of me… I won't be up until I can fix my chakra coils again and restore my chakra. Did you bring me my sword?"

Nodding in the affirmative, Naruto handed said item to her, but as he did so, Hinata got a confused look.

"Aliera, I thought only you could wield that sword… how was Naruto able to pick it up?"

Naruto, having not realized this oddity, also began to wonder how it was possible. Aliera, sensing the building confusion in the room, responded before anyone could procure meaningless guesses.

"Simple, it allows me and the one I choose to wield it next to touch it."

At this, Naruto's eyes went wide. "You mean… I'm going to be the next one to wield Kie? Will you show me how? When? What else can it do? Can you start teaching me now?". Naruto started bouncing up and down with excitement, a rare act for him since he had not done any such thing since his second year as GTN.

Aliera sighed. "Naruto, I'll start teaching you soon, but you don't get Kie until you're Hokage."

Looking down in defeat, Naruto returned to the matter at hand. "So wait, Aliera, will you be up in time?"

"No, not likely, but we can't return to Konoha in the condition I'm in, nor any of you travel back alone, you could be targeted by Gatou. We're just going to have to stay here. Naruto, train them, and train yourself. In a week, you must be able to defeat Zabuza."

All of them looked shocked, but quickly resigned to their fate. Naruto, seeing their downtrodden looks, decided to distract them.

"We can do this. Come on, all of you, we have to train."

(In the woods, 15 minutes later)

Speaking in an authoritative voice, Naruto addressed team 8. "Now, I know you are all strong, and our teamwork it good. I won't be able to train you in much, since I have to train myself, but I suggest you work on your family jutsus and work your asses off. If you need a sparring partner, come find me. I will be with Tazuna-san at the bridge and can make some Kage Bunshin. Also, here."

Naruto reached into one of his scroll holders, and pulling out a tiny scroll. Opening it, he unsealed a very large scroll. Opening that scroll, he looked it over, then turned to the team.

"Look at this." They complied, and saw the scroll was labeled, in order, with the kanji for 'Basic', 'Advanced', and 'Master'.

"This scroll contained many chakra control techniques, elemental jutsus, and theories that should help you master them. To unlock the scrolls, push some chakra into it. Smaller scrolls will pop out, giving you categories to choose from. Unseal the items in those, and it will give you information. To re-seal them, make these three seals:" Showing them the seals. "And put chakra into the scroll, and put it into the appropriate slot. Now this is my personal library. Don't damage anything. I suggest you only use the basic techniques. You won't master anything else in such a short time."

Moving out of lecture mode, Naruto continued. "Now, In order to use your time efficiently, I want you all to find out your chakra affinity. Kiba, you already know yours, so you can get started. Shino, come here and push some chakra into this."

Holding up a card, he handed it to the bug-user. Channeling some chakra into the card, it suddenly crumbled. Naruto, quite surprised by this revelation, exclaimed: "A lightning type… Now that's unusual. I'm not sure how exactly this works… Shino, are you bugs an extension of your chakra, or will you be turned into a human bug-zapper?"

Curious and annoyed at Naruto's apparent interest in his clan, Shino elaborated. "My chakra and my bugs can be either separate or joined. If they were always joined what kind of ninja would I be? I would need bugs to do a henge!"

This being the loudest all of them had ever heard Shino speak, and the longest he'd ever talked for, the group was stunned. Naruto, feeling a bit nervous around the boy, told him he could go to work. However, not long afterwards, Naruto heard Kiba mutter "Maybe coming out of the closet loosened him up a bit."

Needless to say, that night Kiba would wake up with many, many bugs in his sleeping bag.

"Hina-chan, c'mere." Shyly walking over, happy once again to be relatively alone with Naruto, she looked both ways until she was sure both Kiba and Shino were busy. Then, she calmly reached up and enveloped Naruto's lips in a long, hard kiss. Lapping against his bottom lip, asking for entrance, they opened their mouths. Pressing herself to him, Naruto wrapped his arms around her, pulling her tightly against himself. Closing their eyes, they continued. A few minutes later, they broke away from each other, only to hear the lack of training going on. Looking around, they saw Kiba with his jaw on the ground, and Shino with his nose in his jacket, scowling. This wasn't his idea of a show. Naruto was the first to break the silence…. again.

"What, you've never seen two people kiss before?" Naruto asked incredulously.

Kiba simply snorted, and looked back to his scroll. Naruto held out a card to Hinata, who channeled some chakra into it. The card became wet, which was really no surprise, since she had already learned a few water jutsus pretty easily.

"Okay, you all know your affinities. Now get to work!"

Poofing away before they could ask any more questions, Naruto left his personal 'library' behind and accompanied Tazuna to the bridge.

(4 days later)

1000 Narutos could be seen in an open field early in the morning not far from a bridge, training on a very odd technique. However, suddenly, all but one disappeared. The single remaining clone picked up a leaf, which promptly disappeared from sight entirely, as if it had never been there. Not far away, at a bridge, there could be heard a boy, no older than 13, yelling something about goddamned frickin headaches.

Not far away from where the clones had been, a boy surrounded by bugs lit himself with some kind of burst of light, a boy with a dog could be seen cutting up the ground by pointing his hands at it, and a girl… was nowhere to be found.

Deep in the forest, Hinata woke up in the middle of a small clearing, only to look over and see a girl picking… herbs? Lifting herself up, Hinata turned to the stranger, and addressed her in a weak voice.

"Excuse me? Um… what are you doing?"

"Picking herbs to help a friend." She stated simply. She had long black hair, and wore a pink casual kimono (well, as casual as a kimono gets). Hinata though '_No surprise there_'.

"What were you doing out here? You look pretty beat up."

Shyly, Hinata responded. "I was training, I need to get stronger."

"Why?"

Pondering the question briefly, Hinata said "To protect the one I love."

The black haired girl looked at Hinata with surprise, then smiled. "That's good. If you protect those precious to you, you will grow strong. Never forget that."

The girl then began to walk away, but was stopped by a voice. "Wait, what's your name?"

"Haku."

And then, the black-haired girl disappeared. Shrugging, Hinata turned back to her training. Jogging to a nearby stream, she began forming handseals.

(Two days later, night-time)

Aliera awoke to see the same ceiling she had the past few days. She still hadn't regained the energy needed to be able to fight. She could only pray she'd be fine by morning.

At the same time, Naruto and Hinata entered the house. Everyone else was asleep, or so they thought. Having not had any free time to themselves, and due to Kiba and Shino wandering around in their training, they had not found any time to be together. Sneaking up the stairs, they both entered the boy's room, right next to the girls. Entering quietly, Naruto and Hinata locked the door behind them.

"Are you sure this is okay Naruto? I mean, what if Kiba or Shino come back. What if Aliera wakes up?"

"It will be fine. Plus, I want to spend some time alone with my Hina-chan.

Over the past few months, the two had grown close. Every free day they got, they spent together. Naruto just couldn't stand being watched over by a Hyuuga whenever he was with her, and for the first time in awhile, they were completely alone. Pushing two futons next to each other, they laid down, and embraced each other.

"Hinata, there is something I want to tell you. I've been thinking about this a lot, and I hope you understand…"

Hinata's full attention was now on Naruto.

"I haven't had all that many precious people in my life… I should say, I overheard that girl talking to you, I've been keeping watch on all of you the past few days, and I want to say…"

He was cut off by Hinata's expression. She was now blushing crimson. '_Did he hear me? Did he hear me say that I… that I…_

"Hinata" He whispered softly. "I love you." Then, leaning in, he kissed her. However, this kiss was different for the both of them. The others had been amazing, but compared to this…. This was heaven on earth. They moved closer to each other, Hinata pressing herself against his body completely, wrapping one leg around his. They lay there, embracing, kissing for what seemed to them, to be eternity. The softness of their lips pressing against each other, the warmth of the tongue, the connection, the spark, the lust, the attraction… the love between them. All rolled into one, heavenly experience.

Hinata was in a state of absolute bliss, but she wanted more. She broke away, and lifted up Naruto's shirt… to his great surprise.

"H-Hinata-chan? … W-what are you doing?" He moaned softly, as his shirt was fully removed, and she traced her fingers up and down his toned, tanned body.

"I just wanted to… be closer to you." She slowly began removing her coat, revealing the tight shirt underneath. Pressing still closer, she took his hand, and put it to her chest.

"Hinata…"

"It's okay. Just, for now… I want to be close to you, just once, in case we die tomorrow…."

Suddenly, Naruto became stern. "Hinata, I promise you, we will not die tomorrow. I will protect you with my life, and I promise I won't die either. It will be fine, we can handle it together."

Though Naruto hadn't known it, Hinata had been nervous about what could happen tomorrow. Sure, Naruto was strong, but having checked up on Aliera, she knew he'd be facing Zabuza alone….

"Do you promise?"

"I promise"

And like that, they fell asleep in each others arms.

(outside the room)

"I hear breathing inside the room, and Naruto and Hinata couldn't be anywhere else." Kiba told Shino.

"Whatever. Kiba, just because they are in a locked room together doesn't mean they did it. Now lets just go sleep on a couch or something. We clearly aren't getting in there, and I don't trust you not to fondle Aliera once I fall asleep."

"Harsh dude…. Harsh"

End chapter 10: Hoped you liked it. It took forever to write and get to my beta reader's satisfaction. Now, if you'll excuse me, it is late and I would like to sleep… I have lots of tests tomorrow.

Next chapter is the revealing of Naruto's bloodline limit. Plz Review!!


	11. Chapter 11

Seals of Fate

Hi all. I understand some of you are confused by what exactly happened last chapter. I will try to clear that up in this one. Also, this is the bloodline-awakening chapter. I said in the summary there would be one, and I did not lie. Prepare yourselves. Lastly, for you ppl looking for lemons… I'm sorry to say there won't be one for a while. I don't like the idea of two 12 to 13 year olds going at it… it freaks me out… even if said 12-13 year olds are unnaturally hot.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its contents. If I did, Zetsu would die to weed-killers.

Chapter 11: A New Awakening.

It was the morning that team 8 and Naruto had planned to escort Tazuna to the bridge, the day the bridge would be completed, and thus, the day Zabuza would attack. Early that morning, Aliera was deemed incapacitated, due to a needle to the neck putting her in a near-death state.

(Flashback no Jutsu)

"Aliera nee-chan?" Naruto called, knocking on the door. "Aliera?" There was still no response. "Nee-chan, we have to go soon, get up."

Walking into the room, he took no more than two seconds to get by Aliera's side, and check her pulse. She was alive, but just barely. Her breathing was shallow and she was pale as a ghost. A small senbon needle, very much like the ones that 'killed' Zabuza, stuck out from her neck. Pulling it out quickly, Naruto used some of his chakra to heal the wound and stabilize her. However, with what little medical knowledge he knew, that was the most he could manage. Walking out of the room, he placed a sign on the door that said 'do not distrurb' and moved off to his room to get ready.

(End Flashback)

"Hinata, Shino, Kiba. Aliera is not fit to fight yet, we must do this alone. I don't want any of you to engage Zabuza. He will likely have that hunter-nin with him. Do not be fooled, he or she is a fake. Your job will be to defeat the nin and defend Tazuna, I'll deal with Zabuza."

Nodding, they looked at Naruto shakily, wondering what he could ever hope to do against such a foe, but kept silent. This was not the time to question him.

Setting off with Tazuna, they walked to the bridge. Arriving there half an hour later, they looked around… It was a massacre. All of Tazuna's workers had been utterly maimed by a sword that, from the wounds, appeared to have a serrated edge.

Tazuna's expression fell as he looked at the slaughter of those who had worked for him. Many, many friends were dead here. _I swear on my life that I will finish the bridge, so that your sacrifice will not be in vain_.

"We must look for survivors, let's go… Wait, where's Kiba?"

The group looked around, but the Inuzuka was nowhere to be found.

(Elsewhere)

_I can't believe I forgot my equipment pouch! Stupid Kiba. Stupid, stupid, stupid!_ Looking around, the young Inuzuka saw something which caught his eye. There were scratch marks, likely from a sword, marking the path. They were headed in the direction of Tazuna's house. _Crap… gotta hurry_. With that, he quickened his pace, and soon arrived to see a sight he'd never wanted to see.

(Earlier)

Inari looked to where his mother was being held. He had never felt so helpless in his entire life, but he thought back to what he had been told by that wet-dog kid earlier.

(Flashback no jutsu)

"You stupid mutt. No matter how hard you try, you cannot beat Gatou's men. The weak lose against the strong, just like my father. He was a great man, he tried to protect the village with his own hands, but he couldn't stand up to them. What make you think you can?! I lost my father, a great man of Wave, how could a foreign happy-go-lucky douche like you help? You'll just die!"

They were in his room, but Inari soon broke into tears, and started to leave. However, he felt a hand on his shoulder, stopping him. Turning around, he saw the boy's face was surprisingly sympathetic.

"I have never met my father. I'm the clan screw up. I'm not like Naruto, or Aliera, and I'm willing to admit I'm not as strong, but I keep trying. A screw up is only a screw up if he decides to stay one. I am going to work hard, I am going to be the greatest Inuzuka ever, a clan head, even without my father. You know why, because running away from problems isn't my thing. I'm not gonna cry and run away from all this. If I protect those close to me, those precious to be with these two arms, I will be strong, and you, if you stop running away, you will be strong too."

Like déjà vu, Inari was struck by this boy's similarity to his father. They had said the same thing '_With these two arms… with these two arms…_

"Thank you… Kiba-san. I won't run away… anymore."

The boy's voice was cracking, and Kiba decided it was time to leave. Closing the door behind him, he listened, but was surprised when he didn't hear crying. Maybe he had gotten through to him.

(End Flashback)

"LET GO OF MY MOM!"

"INARI!" Tsunami was frantically trying to get away, to shield her son, as she knew what would happen next. One of the two samurai that had invaded her home looked over to see the young boy.

"What's this? I suppose you think you're tough, huh? Tell you what, come at me. We'll see what's tougher, your skin or my sword."

"Wait!" Tsunami yelled, attempting to get his attention. "Leave him alone! You only need me!"

Looking amused, the samurai holding her whispered into her ear "Yeah, but where would be the fun in that?"

"I'll bite my tongue and choke on my own blood to death if dare touch him"

Her harsh tone of voice was rewarded with a hard slap to the face, but after that they simply began dragging her away.

"Kaa-san!"

"Inari, run! They won't hurt you, just save yourself!"

Standing there, helpless, Inari watched his mom get dragged away. Picking up a large bucket, the young boy prepared himself for what he had to do.

This was the scene Kiba saw. Tsunami being dragged away, and Inari emerging from the house with a large steel bucket.

_Aw man… gotta do something fast. They don't look like ninja, one solid attack should do it_. Jumping down from his branch, he made sure they hadn't seen him, and said quietly "Juujin Bunshin no Jutsu." (Beast Clone Technique)

Akamaru and Kiba, now a pair of beastly looking Kiba's, both began making seals. "Shikakyu no jutsu" (Four Legs technique). Suddenly, the power of the two increased… by a lot. Making a few final seals, they both whispered/barked "Doton: Rippling Earth no Jutsu"

The samurai felt the ground shaking beneath them, an odd occurrence since there had never been earthquakes in Wave country. Hearing a loud growl from in front of them, they both looked ahead, and in the blink of an eye, two identical ninjas blurred in front of them and launched their kicks. Rubbing weakly at the spot where they had been hit, they looked at the Kibas, raising their swords.

"You're gonna pay for that you punk. We're Gatou's men, and no stupid 12 year old is gonna beat us, even if you are a ninja. Now, prepare to die!"

Watching in horror, Inari thought Kiba was about to die, and was about to dive in the way when something odd happened. Mid-swing, both Samurai were struck by a wave of dirt, plowing them off into the water which surrounded Tazuna's house. Looking behind Kiba, Inari saw a gigantic swath of destruction, 5 feet wide, about six inches deep in the middle, curving upwards to meet the ground. The swath stretched back 200 feet to a tree at the edge of the woods. All that dirt had just struck the two samurai, leaving them bound with their heads just above water, in two gigantic pillars of mud. Kiba merely thought smugly: _Won't master an advanced jutsu that quickly my ass_.

Turning back to normal, Kiba rushed up the stairs, grabbed his equipment pouch, downed a soldier pill, and rushed outside. As he moved past, he said to Inari: "Good work. Now I gotta go help at the bridge, they'll need me to bail them out of course"

Inari watched as the visage of his new hero vanished into the woods. With resolve, he thought to himself: _This is the village's last chance to beat Gatou… I gotta go get help. With his gang, I'll need the whole village_. And the young boy set off, to begin rounding up the resistance.

(Back at the bridge)

"Zabuza… Today, you will pay for what you did to Aliera."

Smirking, Zabuza jabbed a thumb in the direction of the hunter-nin, and spoke "That was my tool here. Helpful woman, isn't she?"

Spitting in disgust, Naruto spoke. "Hinata, Shino, Tazuna, stay back. You two, guard Tazuna-san."

"I see my fight is only a mere chuunin then. Well, after I kill you, I'll kill the old man. Now, prepare to meet my sword!"

Charging forward, Zabuza revealed his new sword. It had a serrated blade that looked like it was made of teeth, and had a blue blade. The other side of the blade was sharpened, the sword looked like it was more for cutting than stabbing. The hilt was silver, the handle red. It was about the same side as his head-chopping cleaver, engraved on the side was the word 'Serioli'. Forming seals, Naruto shouted "Katon: Flame Staff" and summoned a staff very much like Sarutobis. It being the only weapon he was proficient in, other than kunai and shuriken, the Kenjutsu battle began.

On the other side of the bridge, the tension was building. "I am Haku. I figured I would tell you the name of your killer so you may die with peace of mind. Now, let's begin."

Pulling out several senbon needles, she threw them at Hinata, Shino, and Tazuna. Using her Byakugan, Hinata deflected all the ones aimed at her and Tazuna, and Shino used bugs to block the ones aimed at him.

"Hinata, guard Tazuna, I will deal with her."

"Hai. Tazuna, get behind me."

Complying, he moved so that she could guard him easily, and they began watching the fight.

(With Shino and Haku)

"Protecting the girl eh? Well, such chivalry will lead to your death. You will die." Taking out several senbon needles, she, hurled them, but they were once again blocked by the bug swarm. Deciding to use a different tactic, Haku performed several hand seals and shouted "Hyuuton: 1000 needles no jutsu"

At least 100 needles made of ice surrounded Shino, firing from all sides. However, when they struck, he burst into a cloud of bugs.

_A clone? Then… where'd he go?_ Looking around, Haku caught sight of a fist heading towards her. Dodging out of the way, she threw several needles at him, though they were again deflected by bugs.

Forming seals, the bug-boy whispered to himself "Raiton: Zap-Bug no Jutsu". All at once, Shino's bugs were enveloped in a blue light. Landing on Haku, she immediately felt her chakra being sucked away. However, it did not go very far. Being turned into lightning, it was being fed back into her, the lightning zapping her chakra pathways. Had it continued for much longer, she would've been paralyzed, possibly for life.

Jumping away from the swarm, Haku formed more seals. "For Zabuza" she whispered. "Hyuuton: Demonic Ice Mirrors technique".

Shino was quickly trapped within about a dozen mirrors, all around him. Facing him, on every mirror, was Haku. _Shit… I can't get her with my bugs while she's in there… and that last jutsu was most of my chakra. Kiba, get here soon_.

(With Hinata)

He's getting weaker. Shino, hold on… I can't abandon my post… but I'm sure Naruto or Kiba will help soon…

(With Naruto)

Zabuza was simply laughing. They had been in a fierce kenjutsu fight for several minutes now. Due to the heat caused by Naruto's staff, any mist Zabuza attempted to produce was quickly wiped away. The staff did not seem to be wearing down, meaning the kid either had massive chakra stores or amazing control (not that he knew Naruto had both). However, even with the staff, Naruto was slowly getting more and more cuts. Though some were already healing, it was clearly a losing battle. However, this was not why Zabuza was laughing. Looking down the bridge a few hundred feet, he saw Haku create the mirrors.

"What's so funny?" Naruto growled at the man who was still laughing his ass off.

"You're friends are about to die. Haku used the mirrors, they stand no chance."

"Do not underestimate them. Your tool seems to be having a hard time too."

"You mean Haku? Haku was just playing with him. With her ice bloodline, she is jounin level. Heck, on a good day she may even beat me."

Naruto's eyes widened. He knew that it took great skill to use the needles like she had, but jounin level? _I have to finish this fight, quick._

"Let's take this up a notch, shall we?"

The man stopped laughing. Then grinned maliciously. "If you wish for your death, I will be happy to grant it."

Charging once again, Naruto only had a moment to block, before leaping backwards and starting handseals. "Raiton: Lightning Staff". A rod made of lightning, the same length as the flame staff, formed in Naruto's left hand. The flame staff in his right, Naruto took his stance, his left in front, wrist bent, holding the staff parallel to the ground and out in front of him, his right hand over his head, spinning the flames like a helicopter blade.

"Come!"

Zabuza, not one to turn down such a challenge, charged, swinging like a madman. The kenjutsu fight continued.

(With Shino)

_There is no logical way out of this, I am going to die here_. Needles covered his body, he had more than 80 stuck in various parts of his body. Collapsing to the ground, he fell unconscious.

"Well now, I guess I should finish him off." Spinning a needle, Haku was about to slash Shino's throat when a blast of air came from her left. Blown to the side, she moved herself into a mirror, just in time to avoid a slash from a rather ferocious looking boy.

"Shino, I will protect you, just don't hit on me later."

If Shino was conscious, he'd have hit him for that. However, just because Shino wasn't conscious didn't mean his bugs weren't. There would be payback… if they survived.

"Hey, creepy Hunter-nin lady"

"My name is Haku, I am not creepy, and stop eyeballing me or I will be forced to neuter your corpse."

Cringing at the thought, he took a moment, then became serious. "I Will protect him, and you will lose here. Prepare yourself. Juujin Bunshin… GATSUUGA!"

Becoming two whirling missiles, Kiba and Akamaru, who now looked like Kiba, began striking the mirrors until it became apparent they weren't doing much. The mirrors just kept repairing themselves.

"Now you will die as well."

Releasing a hundred ice needles from the mirrors, Kiba was struck in many, many places. However, he managed to save his manhood. Akamaru looked like a pin-cushion and dropped the Bunshin, becoming the small white dog he was. Taking two soldier pills out of his equipment bag, Kiba fed one to Akamaru and one to himself, and prepared for a last attempt.

"I will… protect him…" Kiba gasped. He knew this next attempt may very well kill him, but he was willing to take the chance. _Mother, Hana, I'm sorry, but it must be done…_

_This better work. It's all I have left. I shouldn't have spent so much chakra fighting those Samurai…_Working through the hand seals, all 40 of them, Haku did not simply wait. By the time he'd finished the seals, Kiba had 20 more needles in his body. He'd managed to dodge enough while making the seals to avoid getting hit in vital spots and without losing concentration.

"Akamaru, NOW!"

A loud growl erupted from the small dog, sounding like a roar created from sound. _This had better Frickin work!_ "KINJUTSU: BEAST RELEASE!"

A gigantic burst of wind launched into the wave of sound, multiplying its power 1000-fold. The sound/wind wave took the shape of a wolf, and shattered all the mirrors, blowing Haku away, skidding on the ground nearly 200 hundred feet, landing near Naruto and Zabuza's fight. Kiba promptly passed out.

(With Naruto)

The Kenjutsu fight had continued for several minutes, until an attack which sounded like a sonic boom, sent a woman flying towards them. Looking at the body, Zabuza bounded away and stopped it from moving. Seeing Haku, body covered in deep gashes from head to toe, with the mask on her face broken, Zabuza howled in anger.

"If you take away my daughter, I'll take away your girl!" Forming hand seals before Naruto could react, Zabuza shouted in fury "Suiton: Water Dragon no Jutsu!"

A dragon made of water from beneath the bridge appeared, and shot at Hinata at such a speed she couldn't possibly dodge. Hit by the attack, she was immediately knocked unconscious. Zabuza became a blur, swinging his sword around to hit both Tazuna and Hinata, when he suddenly froze in place. An aura of pure unbridled hatred and killing intent were aimed directly at him, so powerful it seemed unnatural.

"**You shall never, EVER touch Hinata-chan again. Prepare to DIE!**"

Naruto looked quite different. He glowed with a red aura of chakra, surging around him destroying whatever it whipped into. His hands had grown out, and he now had claws, clearly visible now that his staffs had disappeared. However, the most terrifying aspect of Naruto, was his eyes.

Naruto's eyes had changed from their once beautiful cerulean blue. They were now green and with wide black slits in the middle, the kanji for seal in the center, looking as if it was burned in with fire.

Naruto's mind flooded with his knowledge. Seals flashed before his eyes, before settling upon one… a gravity seal. In an instant, the seal was placed on Zabuza, as if projected onto him. It activated, and he grew heavier, and heavier still. Soon, he was crushed to the bridge, the force of the seal starting to crush his bones. Then, Naruto began forming seals. Walking slowly up to the struggling Zabuza, Naruto took one look at his hand. A seal, more complex than anything the Yondaime had created, (except maybe those needed for Hiraishin) appeared on Naruto's hand.

"**You will never touch her again, in this life or the next. Fuujinjutsu: disintegration seal.**"

Ramming his hand towards Zabuza, Naruto was awed, as his hand came in contact with Haku, who had regained consciousness, and leapt in front of Zabuza. However, in that moment, all of Naruto's chakra was dispelled into the jutsu, and Haku turned to dust. The Kyuubi chakra was gone, and Naruto's eyes returned to normal.

Fortunately, the only ones still conscious to see it were one immovable Zabuza, one terrified Tazuna, and a new presence.

"Zabuza. I see you failed once again. Well, at least after I kill you all, I'll get the bounty for your head. Too bad the cowardly woman who was with you left, I bet she would've been entertaining." The voice was followed by the sounds of many, many feet.

"Gatou" Naruto muttered. The army of thugs would be difficult to deal with in his condition.

"You bastard!" Zabuza gasped out. Naruto deactivated the seal, and Zabuza, with his bones half destroyed, stood up.

"What was your name?" Zabuza inquired to the blond haired ninja.

"Uzumaki Naruto."

"You are strong, but my business is no longer with you. Please, put Haku's ashes into my grave with me, and take my sword. I cannot wield it now, but it is well-made. Make sure it gets an owner. Kunai."

Naruto tossed a kunai to Zabuza, who turned to Gatou. "I'll show you a DEMON!" He roared. Though Naruto had killed Haku, he had done so with honor, and she fulfilled her wish to protect Zabuza with her life. She had saved him. However, Gatou had just insulted for her… for that, he would die.

Gatou, seeing the ninja stand once again, with an evil glint in his eye, raced to the back of his army of thugs. However, this did not stop Zabuza.

Racing through the ranks, Zabuza killed every single person in his way, cutting a swath of destruction to Gatou. With several spears, pikes, swords, and other weapons protruding from his back, Zabuza stumbled forward, and killed Gatou, throwing his corpse off the bridge. Then, seeing as he had no chakra left, and could barely move his arms anymore, Zabuza shot Naruto one last look, then collapsed, dying no more than a few seconds later. Just like a week ago, "Heart, lungs, liver…." All of his vital points had been, but he fought to the very end.

One of the thugs spoke up suddenly. "Hey, he was our free pass! Lets just kill the stupid ninja and raid the town, if he's in league with the guy that killed our money-clip, he may as well die.

"His pretty little blue-haired friend over there would make for some good entertainment. She's a ninja, bet she could go on for hours." A larger thug spoke up. However, before Naruto could become enraged, an arrow landed in front of the group. Turning around, they saw the entire village of people all holding weapons.

"If you even touch any of those ninja, or the village, you will have us to deal with." Said a small boy. A chorus of cheers followed his statement.

The thugs, looking nervous, decided perhaps attacking a force twice their size wouldn't be a smart idea. Running for the hills, they scattered, and the people cheered.

(A few days later)

Aliera, Kiba, Hinata, Shino, and Naruto stood at the front of the bridge, now completed. Tazuna was on a podium in front of them, praising them for their skills and for their help, how they came to their aid even when they didn't have to. Tazuna paused in his speech, remembering the conversation he'd had with Naruto the night after the battle at the bridge.

(Flashback no Jutsu)

"Tazuna-san, what you saw was a sealing jutsu that was meant only to destroy parts of a body. I lost control, and I swore to myself never to use that jutsu again unless absolutely necessary. You cannot tell anyone what you saw though. That seal is too powerful to be let alone, and you simply having seen it, would cause you and perhaps your family to get kidnapped for information. Put simply, tell no one what you saw."

"What about your eyes? I mean, that's not a common occurrence either, is it?"

"What do you mean my eyes? What happened?"

"They became green and slit, with the kanji for seal in the middle of the slits in red. I've never seen eyes like those before."

"Ah… that is… not for you to know."

Sighing, Tazuna knew he wouldn't get any more information from the boy on what exactly had happened.

"I won't tell a soul."

"I expect nothing less."

(Flashback End)

Returning his attention to the crowd, he resumed his speech after just a few moments. Finishing shortly afterwards, the five ninja crossed the bridge and began their journey back to Konoha.

"Wait a minute" Inari piped up. "We never got to name the bridge!"

Thinking for a moment, Tazuna turned to Inari. "Remember that brown-haired boy… I think he had more to do with this success than anyone. I say we name this the 'Great Kiba Bridge' in honor of the boy who inspired this town to join together and fight back, the boy with the bravery of a man, intelligence, kindness."

The crowd cheered, and the next day it was engraved in stone above the bridge for all to see.

(After crossing the bridge)

"I'm tired, I'm hungry, my feet hurt, and I keep dreaming of cats! When are we getting home?" Kiba whined. It was going to be a long journey home.

That was a long chapter… I hope you guys liked it. I'm sorry Haku died, but it fit the story, plus Haku wouldn't go great in the harem. Sorry guys, but I made no promises. What needs to be explained will be next chapter.

Click it! Review!


	12. Chapter 12

Seals of Fate

Thanks for the reviews guys, they are much appreciated. I saw a few questions/comments in there that I feel deserve a response:

1. I'm sorry Haku had to die, but she would never really fit in the Harem.

2. Aliera was not yet able to fight, so she had to stay behind. At the end she was well enough to move.

3. The Bloodline will be explained in this chapter.

4. Please stop complaining about 'The Great Kiba Bridge'. He's the one that talks to Inari, so that's how its gonna work. Naruto couldn't talk about hardship much, I hadn't set up for it. Deal.

That's it, enjoy the next chapter guys.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its contents. If I did, you would get this fic.

Chapter 12: The Heat Of Truth (Edited)

Returning from their trip to wave had been fortunately uneventful. It had taken three days to get back, since Aliera could only walk. Team 8 and Naruto decided to take her to the hospital, after all, it normally didn't take this long to restore ones' chakra reserves. Checking her in, Aliera was taken up to room 309. Kiba and Shino said their good-byes and went off to unpack and continue the day. It had only been 2 PM when they got back, a perfect day to relax since all missions they could do would be taken by then anyway, and they had no sensei to do them with.

Naruto, on the other hand, decided to follow Aliera up to the room, walking hand in hand with Hinata.. Laying her down in the bed, he leaned over in front of Aliera. "You had me worried nee-chan"

"Naruto-chan, I can take care of myself. However, that needle did do a number on me, I don't think I can move much anymore." Aliera said with a smile tugging at her lips.

"Well, don't worry me now, and you better be up soon, else your team is gonna get bored."

Nodding in agreement, Aliera laid down to rest, but after 5 minutes determined she couldn't sleep. Opening her eyes again, she sat herself up, only to see Naruto still there, watching her.

"What're you still doing here?"

"Wanted to make sure you got to sleep okay, but it looks like that isn't going to happen. The nurse was curious as to why your chakra wasn't back yet as well, she thinks there must have been some kind of poison on it, that damaged your chakra coils. They called the Hokage to see what he thought."

"Ah, I see. Well, then, we may have a while to wait, he must have a lot to do."

Turning to Hinata, she called her over. The three then engaged in small talk, until Naruto gained a thoughtful look on his face, as if suddenly remembering something.

"Ne, Aliera… Can I ask you something?"

"Um, sure. Whaddya need?"

"Aliera, do you know who my parents were?"

The lack of the honorific showed her he was now being serious, so she looked at him thoughtfully for a moment. Wondering what had brought on such a question, she responded.

"No, Naruto. I don't. I think the only person in the village who could possibly know where you came from would be the Hokage. Why did you want to know?"

As if on cue, the Hokage walked into the room with Hyuuga Neji at his side. Naruto had been around Hinata enough to know her cousin, an arrogant kid who looked upon the world as if it was driven by some otherworldly force known as 'fate'. He had a weird seal on his head, like most other branch members, which kept him in line with the Main family. However, this was one of the very things Naruto hated most, the idea of slavery and that someone is bound to fate, as if they can't rebel. Wearing a white yukata, and with long hair, he looked very feminine. If not for how he looked when glaring, his default expression, he may have actually looked hot to the female populace.

Remembering their first time meeting each other, Naruto lost himself in thought.

(Flashback no Jutsu, 2 months ago)

Hinata and Naruto could be found sitting by a lake near training ground 7, their hands feeling each others, and looking out over the clear blue water. On some days, this water could be a raging whirlpool due to a jutsu, on others it could be boiling hot, freezing cold, pleasant, and even calm. The pleasant calm waters of that day left Hinata and Naruto content to just be with each other, and watch. However, breaking the calm, Naruto turned to Hinata.

"Hey Hinata, I don't know why this never occurred to me before… but just who is that guy who's always watching us?"

Interrupted from the shadows, a man walked out. His veins around his eyes were bulging, then quickly stopped.

"I am Hyuuga Neji, her cousin and prodigy of the main branch."

"A bit arrogant aren't you?"

"You aren't one to be talking. I've heard some things about your missions, and your headstrong tendencies. You're dream though, that is the one thing that interests me. You have no bloodline, no particular talent, yet you are trying to be Hokage. It is futile, you realize, fate decides the Hokages."

"Fate? What does fate have to do with anything. I work myself to be strong, and I choose my own fate."

"Fate is determined at birth. My father's fate was decided the second his twin brother left the womb first, and he died for it. You cannot escape your fate, and as an orphan you have no chance."

"The Yondaime, was an orphan. He had no family, and neither do I, yet that does not mean I can't change my own path. If you believe so much in fate, then I will have to change that, won't I?"

"You cannot change mine anymore than you can change your own, you bastard. The main branch oppress us, yet you openly help them? They make us slaves, but you have fun with them. Tell me, what's it like to be free?" His voice was now full of malice. _I haven't lived a free day in my life, but this fool lives oblivious. If he understands, perhaps he will rethink this thing with Hinata, and I won't have to watch their damned asses anymore_.

"I may not know your particular hardships, but I know your pain."

"You know nothing."

Neji then slipped back into the darkness, all traces of him disappearing. Naruto couldn't doubt this… Neji was a prodigious ninja.

(End Flashback)

Neji scowled at the man who knew nothing of pain. Taken in by the Hokage and trained… he couldn't know pain, he had family, he had love, even without parents, the boy was 'special'.

"Hinata, I am here to bring you back to the manor, your father wishes to speak with you."

The Hokage quickly turned to the two of them, halting their path. "Hold on. Neji, we are having trouble figuring out what happened to Aliera. Examine her."

Complying, Neji activated his Byakugan. Looking at Aliera, he saw that her coils had been damaged in several places, with a foreign chakra disrupting flow in the chest. No wonder she was bed ridden, any non-ninja would've died instantly.

"There is a foreign chakra disrupting her flow through her chest and right arm, as well as damage in those spots and in her neck. The pathways appear not to be able to reconstruct themselves around the foreign chakra, but it is dissipating. By my estimate, the foreign chakra will dissipate in about two weeks time, and she should then begin healing."

Neji then deactivated his Byakugan and left the room with Hinata, closing the door behind them. The Hokage addressed Aliera.

"You are going to be off active duty and in here the next few weeks. If all is as the Byakugan saw, then you should be fine in about a month. In the mean time, who would you like to serve as your replacement?"

"Naruto."

The blond chuunin looked at her in surprise. Sure, he knew everyone on her team, but he wasn't a jounin. The Hokage was surprised as well, but having known Naruto, knew why she had made that decision.

"Listen, Aliera, I know he is a good friend to you, and he's talented, but he's no jounin. He wouldn't be leading them on anything more than D-ranks, or C-ranks within Fire Country. I thought you wanted your team to get experience?"

"Yes, and he is plenty capable of leading a team by himself. He defeated Momochi Zabuza by himself! Surely –"

Aliera was cut off by the sound of Naruto clearing his throat. "I'm afraid that isn't exactly true… I have something to ask you, Ojjisan." A short pause followed, until Naruto continued. "I don't believe I defeated Zabuza myself… I had the help of my… tenant."

Both Aliera and the Hokage's eyes widened. Naruto quickly went through some hand seals, then put a silencing barrier around the room. Before the either member of his audience could speak again, Naruto continued in a slightly softer, darker voice unbefitting of the boy.

"That battle is scattered in my mind. I remember I engaged Zabuza in a kenjutsu fight with my elemental staffs. I remember his ally, Haku, landing near us because of some jutsu Kiba must have used, then I remember Zabuza attacking Hinata. After that, I think I must've passed out, but I opened my eyes and was in a large sewer. It was glowing red at the end of it... and within a giant cage was giant fox... We talked, and he pushed some kind of red chakra through the bars at me, and I remember the pain, the pain enveloping my body as it surrounded me, and then I blacked out. Tazuna explained some of it to me later, but other than using my disintegration seal, I don't remember anything until I released a gravity seal I'd somehow placed on him."

Aliera held a shocked look, while the Hokage merely looked speculatively at the young boy. _So he knows_. Then, as if deciding something, he nodded to himself, and began speaking.

"Tell me of your… conversation with it."

(Flashback no Jutsu)

"If you take away my daughter, I'll take away your girl!" Forming hand seals before Naruto could react, Zabuza shouted in fury "Suiton: Water Dragon no Jutsu!"

Naruto saw the dragon hit her… then all became black. He awoke a few moments later, only to see himself lying face up in a sewer.

That's weird. I wonder where I am… Is this sewage?

Looking down the hallway, Naruto saw a red glow at the end. Walking towards the glow, Naruto soon found himself in front of an enormous cage. Within it were two gigantic red eyes, watching him.

"Where am I?"

"**You are in my realm, mortal, more specifically… your mind**"

"errr… okay… Who're you?"

"**You will address me as the Great Lord Kyuubi**"

Kyuubi? The demon fox? Wait, the Yondaime killed it… or sealed it. That scroll… am I the child he sealed the Kyuubi in? Is that why I'm so different?

Seeing the young boy piece things together in his head, which was ironic because that's where they were and because the Kyuubi could sense Naruto's thoughts, the fox decided to solve this quickly.

"**Yes, you are my vessel, and this is your mindscape, where I reside. You entered here when your mate was struck**"

"Mate?" Does he mean… Hinata?!

"**Ah yes, the blue haired girl. She is indeed a fine specimen…**"

Blushing crimson, the boy then continued his casual conversation with the lord of all demons. Then, as if realizing what was going on, Naruto turned to him and yelled: "Wait a minute, I was brought here because Hinata is in trouble!"

"**Yes… and I suppose you are out of chakra?**"

"Nearly… But I have to protect her."

The great Kyuubi threw red chakra through the bars in the form of chakra, stabbing Naruto in the stomach with it, imbuing him with it.

"**You may use mine, but keep in mind I am not being generous. You have gained some of my respect, mortal, by working as you do, but once I am free of this cage I will make sure to kill you and all you care for.**"

Naruto was jolted out of his mindscape, and felt power. Turning to Zabuza, he felt his new power, and proclaimed in a voice that sounded much like the Fox's within him.

"**You shall never, EVER touch Hinata-chan again. Prepare to DIE!**"

(End Flashback)

Sighing to himself, the Hokage spoke. "I suppose there is no longer a reason to hide it. You are the Kyuubi's container, a jinchuuriki. I assume from that scroll you saw a few years back, and all those sealing scrolls, you've probably figured the rest out. You are the Yondaime's son, and he sealed the Kyuubi into you at birth, at the cost of his life. I'm sorry, but there was no other way to get rid of it…"

Naruto, though slightly angry that this had been kept from him, thought over the matter a bit more.

"Ojjisan… It's okay. I can only imagine what life would've been like if the people knew I was a container. They may have assumed me to be the demon anyway, like a few choice clan heads seem to think. And seeing as you took me in as your own, I should really be thanking you. Anywhere else, I would have been shunned... Plus, I've suspected it for a while now… As someone studying seals, it's kinda hard not to notice the one that appears on my chest every time I mold chakra." Naruto finished in a happy tone of voice, no anger present at all.

The Hokage let a lone tear slide down his face, but then quickly wiped it away. "Naruto… thank you. I should warn you though, don't ever use that chakra if you can avoid it, every time you do, you will weaken the seal just a little more. Since we don't know what would happen if you died, you should only use it as a very last resort. The seal weakening is preferable over the possibility of another coming of the Kyuubi."

Naruto became thoughtful for a moment, then realized something else. "If my father was the Yondaime, who was my mother? And where's our house? I mean, if my dad was Hokage, he must've had a house, and a training ground, and a library… and techniques…" A bit of drool slipped out of the edge of his mouth, as he thought of the possibilities. Then, noticing the drool, he quickly wiped it off, looking embarrassed.

"I'll tell you when you become a Jounin, per his request. You may know who he was, but he believed you should work to earn your heritage. After all, what kind of Shinobi just copies the style of those before them, each member of a family contributes to the jutsus, each striving to surpass those before them."

Finishing with a grin, he looked at the boy who was now looking at the ground uneasily. The Sandaime then realized he'd missed something in his talk with the boy.

"Naruto… did you say disintegration seal? I believe I labeled that seal as forbidden. And do you remember why it was forbidden?"

Naruto looked meekly up at the still intimidating old man. "Um… because its dangerous?"

The old man shook his head, then glared at the boy, causing him to shrink under his steely gaze. "Naruto, The last time you did that you were in the hospital for the most dire case of chakra exhaustion I've ever seen. If it wasn't for the Kyuubi, who I suspect is responsible for your massive chakra supply and fast healing, then you would've died."

Aliera's face was still in shock, as the two talked to each other seemingly oblivious of her presence in the room. Shaking her head side to side, she cleared her throat and attempted to get their attention.

"A-HEM! I believe there is a very confused sick person in the room. Oh right, me! Stop ignoring me or you'll get my foot up your ass."

Naruto and Sandaime both looked sheepish, rubbing the back of their heads. Then Sandaime gained a serious look.

"Aliera, I entrust you with the information you just heard, and you are not to tell anyone about it. It is an S-class secret, and for betraying the secret, the punishment is execution. I assume you will not break this rule?"

The Kunoichi shrunk back from the killing intent the man had been releasing, and nodded her head. Then, turning to Naruto, Aliera spoke: "Naruto… what was wrong with your eyes on the way back?"

Naruto cursed inwardly. _I wanted to keep this a secret dammit!_. "Nothing was wrong with them, nee-chan. What're you talking about?"

However, Naruto's attempt to hide what was going through his head. "Naruto, you have five seconds before I make you go on D-ranks for the next month." the Sandaime said sternly.

Cowering back from the idea of pulling weeds and walking dogs like he'd seen so many teams do, Naruto began very, very quickly. "Ojjisan, did my mother or father have bloodline limits?" Seeing the Sandaime shake his head no, Naruto began trying to explain his odd ability.

"Okay, well… I think I have a doujutsu. I figured out that I can activate it by sending chakra to my eyes. So far as I can tell, it lets me project seals onto objects. I think that's how the gravity seal got onto Zabuza, y'know, since I had no ink..."

"Naruto, perhaps it would be better if you just let me see it."

Concentrating for a moment, Naruto sent chakra to his eyes, and after a few seconds, he opened them to reveal green eyes, with wide black slits through them and the kanji for 'seal' in red in the middle.

"Interesting… and surprising. I have never seen nor heard of a doujutsu like that…. It will have to be documented of course, but what did you mean by 'projecting'?"

A seal appeared on Naruto's hand as he stared at it, a modified exploding seal.

"See? The seal just appears when I imagine it on my hand. And I can change it. It's like my mind is just projecting the image onto whatever I want it to."

However, when Naruto turned to the Hokage, he noticed something was amiss. The Hokage was both staring at him in the eyes, yet not looking at him at all.

"Oi! Ojjisan? What's wrong?"

"Naruto… your eyes change with the seals. Right now, the normal red for 'seal' is showing the writing for an exploding note… It's.. amazing. You're practically burning images into objects with your mind alone…"

Naruto simply looked confused, until going over to a mirror and watching his eyes change from seal to seal as he cycled through all the ones he knew. After cycling through more than 50 different seals, Naruto noticed that every time he switched the seals, there would be a small dip in his chakra, as if the change was draining him. Also, it seemed that he could only project it onto things that were nearby… The more chakra he forced out of his eyes, the longer the range. After another hour of experimenting with it in the room, they discovered exactly what the range was normally, what seals could be projected, and Naruto, after playing with some modified exploding seals, found a way to sustain a seal with his chakra, so that Naruto could make his opponents explode one after another, like a touch-activated katon jutsu. However, Naruto was soon drained. Even with his massive reserves, sustaining a seal for a long amount of time that basically needs to be replaced over and over is not easy. The Hokage performed a quick jutsu which repaired most of the damage to the walls by moving bits around and thinning the material to become evenly spread.

"Naruto… with that ability trained and your knowledge of seals, you would be equal to most Jounin in the village… maybe in a few years you'd be even with me. I'll send you to the next jounin exams, two months after the chunnin exams, but in the meantime… you will serve as Team 8s sensei. With that ability I have no doubt you can lead them on missions. Also, don't tell anyone what we spoke of here today… unless you want to, but make sure they don't tell anyone else." The Hokage then turned to Aleira and began speaking again.

"Do you intend to send them to the chuunin exams?"

"Yes, Hokage-sama."

"The Naruto will have to serve as their sensei, as the exams will be starting in two weeks and you will be in no shape to serve as their sensei then. Naruto?"

"Yes?"

"Give Team 8 these." Handing Naruto some forms that he had brought with him, but had been left forgotten on the table until now, Naruto saw that they were entrance exams.

"Team 7, 9, and 10 will also be participating. Train your students for the next few weeks… They may be an apt team, but help wouldn't do them any harm."

Naruto nodded. Falling back into his 'teaching' role, Naruto stood straight up, then bowed to the Hokage and Aliera, and left the room, removing the silencing barrier.

"Think my little brother there will make a good Hokage?"

The Hokage, for once, looked incredulous.

"Are you kidding me? With his reserves, once he hits jounin imagine what will happen. If he combines that bloodline with Hiraishin… then that dream of surpassing the Yondaime won't be so far-fetched after all."

"Hey… if he's the Yondaime legacy… shouldn't you tell the clans? I mean… I'm not blind, I've noticed more than a few clans that don't like him because of Kyuubi… If you inform them of whose son he is.. it would help, right?"

"Aliera… for once I agree with you. Now get some rest, I can't have my best jounin out of commission for too long."

"Wait… Hokage-sama."

"Hmm?"

"Chapter 18 Icha Icha Paradise, volume 4. That's me at age 17."

The Hokage promptly fainted from a nosebleed. He would be found in her room later that night, still unconscious with a blush on his cheeks. The next day… the nurse that found him had 'won' 10,000 ryou.

(Elsewhere)

Hinata sat before her father, wondering what could've possibly caused him to actually pay attention to her. I mean, she knew she wasn't very strong with her Byakugan, and that her Jyuuken was different, as though she had bastardized some of the techniques, but she was a pretty good fighter. She had just done a C-rank successfully, even if she hadn't done much, but she couldn't complain, it was decent pay. The icy silence continued, tension thick in the air, then Hiashi spoke.

"Hinata. You are weak. You are a disgrace to the main branch of this family. However, you have a chance to redeem this. If you are promoted to chuunin at this exam, you will surpass the prodigy of the branch family. You cousin, Neji. You must beat him, or you will no longer be my daughter."

Hinata was shocked. Her father had never threatened her with being disowned before. Neji was a prodigy, how could she hope to beat him? If she was disowned, she would be given the caged bird seal, she would be another slave, and Naruto… she would lose the freedom to do as she wished… and lose the freedom to see Naruto outside of missions…

Hiashi motioned for her to leave the room, which she did. She entered her room and burst into tears. A while later, she heard a knock on her door, and opened it to see an older branch member looking down at her with sympathy, having seen that something was wrong. However, the branch member also had a job to do. She told Hinata to go to the door, and she complied. Standing before her was her savior, Naruto.

She threw herself into his arms, and finding comfort leaning into his warmth. He guided her back to her room, where he saw a pillow soaked with tears, and simply sit her down to talk.

"Hinata-chan… what's wrong?"

"I-I…I'm going to b-be.. disowned…"

Naruto blinked several times in surprise, then looked into her eyes. He lifted her chin, wiped away her tears with a tissue, and kissed her. This left her in shock briefly, before she forgot what she was talking about, and simply enjoyed it. She surprised him when she broke away, got up, and locked the door. Then, sitting down, she pushed Naruto on top of the lying down face-up. Moving towards him, she climbed on top of him, and locked lips with his.

Naruto was incredibly surprised. He had planned for the girl to merely calm down, not throw him onto the bed. Sensing that things were getting out of hand, he tried to pull himself away, but couldn't. It felt too good, her legs pressed against his, her breasts resting gently on top of him, and her eyes, which now were just looking at him, with a hint of confusion but mostly just a twinkling beacon, the mischievous grin she wore made her seem like a naughty angel from.

Hinata, staring into those cerulean blue eyes, began caressing his whisker marks. He began making purring noises, as though he was a very, very happy cat, and soon she felt a hard lump pressing into her thigh. Looking down, still caressing him while he closed his eyes, she saw his 'third leg' emerge in a tent against her. Seeing this going somewhere, she reached down and pulled off his jacket. He had changed since being at the hospital, having worn a black windbreaker with only his chuunin vest underneath. He'd planned to get some training done with the team, and thus required no shirt. He was also wearing black ninja-pants that were a little loose, but had a white length of rope tied around them to serve as a belt.

Having removed the offending jacket, Hinata removed his vest, and rested against his chest, her hair tickling it as she got herself comfortable.

"Hinata… can you tell me what happened?"

The tears threatened to break through again, but she feared not being able to talk coherently, so she pushed them back. She explained to him what had happened, and saw not what she expected. Instead of looking defeated, he put on a determined look.

"Hinata-chan, if that's the case, then that just means you'll have to train harder. I promise, by the time I'm done with you, you'll be able to beat him."

"But don't you have missions?"

"Actually no, that's what I came here to talk to you about. For the moment, though I'm not actually a jounin, though the Hokage seems to think I'd make a good one, I am to serve as team 8's temporary jounin sensei."

Now, Hinata knew Naruto was strong. He had beaten Zabuza after all, but that was still a blow to the head. Naruto? Jounin level? That hardly made sense… but then again… he was Sarutobi's newest protegee…

"Naruto, that's great. But won't you have to train Kiba and Shino too?"

"Of course, but you can learn my taijutsu style. Combined with the Jyuuken, I'm sure you'll be able to kick Neji's butt!"

His determination was infectious, as was his smile. Hinata was soon grinning wide at the thought that she would get some alone time with Naruto now what he was her sensei. Giving him another kiss, she halted when she heard footsteps. Knocking sounded on the locked door. Hinata looked over at Naruto, who had already put his vest and jacket back on, and nodded.

"Come in."

Hiashi stepped through the doorway, briefly narrowing his eyes at Naruto, then let it slide. He had indeed become a weapon of the village, just a weapon that chose to date his daughter, or the girl who wouldn't be his daughter anymore if she failed.

"Naruto, it is time for Hinata's practice. You may now leave."

Naruto got the idea, and quickly left, discreetly leaving a note and form on Hinata's table. He set off for the Inuzuka house, to visit a good friend.

(Inuzuka Household)

Naruto looked around, once again noticing how different this clan household was from the Hyuuga compound. Naruto simply walked up and knocked on the door, a second later being opened by a happy Kiba with his white dog, Akamaru, sitting atop his head.

"Hey Naruto! What's up?"

"That's Naruto-sensei to you."

"heh, good one. You may be higher up there in rank, but you sure aren't my sensei."

Handing the Inuzuka one of two remaining notes, the boy read over it carefully.

To member of Team 8: Naruto is now your temporary sensei for the chuunin exams, as Aliera is unable to train you at this time due to damages to her chakra system. He is more than capable of training you, so listen to him well. If you make it to the third portion of the exams, Aliera will train you in the month in between the end of the second and the start of the third. Please respect him, as he will you. Come to me if you have any problems.

_-Sandaime, Sarutobi_

At the bottom was the seal of the Hokage, showing it was officially the Hokage's message.

Kiba was slack-jawed at the note. He turned to look at Naruto again, noticing the kiss marks on him, and decided even if he was his sensei now, he was still Naruto.

"Well, this seems legit. I must ask though, Naruto, Did you happen to visit Hinata first? She appears to have eaten you."

Naruto blushed crimson, then wiped off the parts that Hinata had kissed, some that didn't have marks, which made Kiba chuckle in amusement.

"Shut up, you're just jealous that you can't get any girl our age to look at you, mutt."

Kiba growled dangerously at that, but before he could respond, Naruto held up a hand, signaling for him to stop. "Kiba, meet me at the normal training ground tomorrow, normal time. Also here, take this. Get me a response to this by tomorrow, and fill it out."

Handing Kiba the chuunin exam form, Naruto shunshined away. However, on the wind he could've sworn he heard Kiba cheering.

(Aburame Compound)

"Hello, Shino."

The boy turned to Naruto, noticing nothing out of the ordinary.

"Hello Naruto."

"Here" Naruto said, handing the note to Shino. The bug-boy read over it very quickly, then nodded.

"Correction, Naruto-sensei."

Unlike Kiba, Shino had read the mission report and had seen that Naruto had defeated Momochi Zabuza himself, a feat that Aliera had trouble with the first time around. Admittedly, from what Shino saw, that was because she wanted him alive for questioning, but then had to give up that option when her sword got away from her. Even then, she held back some, an attack of the caliber she'd used could've killed Zabuza had she so choosed.

"Yes. Here, fill this out by tomorrow if you want to participate, and I'll see you at the training field normal time tomorrow."

"Indeed."

Naruto then handed Shino the form and shunshined away. The boy was as quiet as ever, and for once Naruto was happy with that, it meant that he could get home to a shower faster. Naruto sped off for home.

(5 minutes later)

Naruto was taking a shortcut through some training grounds when he heard the sound of steel clashing against posts… very loudly and very rapidly, one after another. Stopping his movements, he looked down at a nearby field, and saw a girl with brown hair, bound up into buns, throwing many, many kunai at training posts, summoning them from storage scrolls. She was wearing a pink chinese shirt which was rather tight, showing off her assets, a little bigger than normal for someone her age, her looking to be about 13 or 14. She was also wearing green baggy ninja pants, similar to his own black ones, except with a kunai pouch strapped to the right thigh.

Looking at the damage to the posts, they appeared to be straining, the amount of kunai hitting them nearly cracking them at the bulls-eye mark. Deciding to have some fun experimenting, Naruto activated his bloodline and, focusing very hard on one of her kunai, put an 'exploding note' seal on it just before it struck. Seconds later, the post exploded, sending a spray of kunai facing the wrong way straight back towards the young kunoichi. She caught every one of them, all 28 that were in the post, putting them down as she caught them in an impressive show of speed and skill. She then threw one straight at him.

Naruto caught it and dropped down from the tree, tossing the kunai to himself while whistling. She simply looked at him, then noticed three things. He was younger than her, he had a Konoha headband, and he had a chuunin vest.

"Excuse me?" She called to him rudely, walking towards him threateningly, other kunai in hand. "Why did you just attack me?"

Naruto looked her way, a faint blush on his cheeks. She was indeed cute, even cuter closer up. _I love Hinata, I love Hinata_ he chanted in his head. "I didn't attack you, I was just testing something out."

"What, pray tell, may that be?"

"Sorry, can't tell you." He smirked, feeling smug, then looked around the clearing. There were various weapons strewn about the clearing, clearly she was fixated on kenjutsu.

"You wouldn't happen to be Rock Lee's other team mate, would you?"

She was surprised, especially since she had never heard anything from Lee about the boy standing before her. She was further surprised when he took off his jacket to reveal he was wearing no shirt underneath, just the vest which now hung open, showing his muscles, as he took a fighter's stance.

"Yes, I am his team mate, Tenten. Why exactly are you in a fighter's stance?"

"Ah, every time I meet up with Lee he always challenges me to a fight, I thought it was normal for his team mates, considering as Neji nearly did the same thing first time I met him. Though, if you don't think you're up for it, I understand…"

The statement hung for a moment before Tenten too got into her taijutsu stance and drew a kunai.

"Oh, so we're using weapons? Well, I have none on me, but I can make do. Katon: Flame Staff no Jutsu!"

Flying through the hand seals required, Naruto created the 6 foot long staff and held it out in front of him at a 45 degree angle to the ground, crouching slightly and having one end of the staff low and about 3 feet in front of himself.

Tenten just looked on in awe. He was wielding fire… as a weapon. As a staff, without burning himself… She had never even heard of that before, having a weapon on-call like that, there were no jutsus like that… not even the Sandaime had that.

"Well, we gonna get started or what?"

Shaking herself from her state of awe, Tenten leapt into the air, throwing 10 kunai at him, spiraling in mid-air, from just her two hands. However, Naruto, seeing the kunai heading for him, decided to try one of his newer techniques.

"Fuuton: Flame Staff Shield!". Spinning the flame staff quickly with the use of wind chakra, Naruto both increased the intensity of the flame and created a shield. The kunai melted upon impact. Letting the technique drop, Naruto charged at Tenten. Announcing his new attack, he formed the 7 handseals and shouted "Katon Fuuton: Flame Orb Charge!"

Bending the staff and increasing its size so that it formed a ring around himself, he sent it spinning with the use of wind chakra, and jumped at her, the ball of fire colliding just after she landed. Standing in a crater 10 feet in diameter, Naruto dispelled his staff, seeing it as unnecessary.

Seeing him distracted, if just for a moment, Tenten flicked some kunai at him. However, Naruto merely flipped to the side, then charged again, planting his hands on the ground and spinning above her. She moved around so that she was facing his back and planted a kick in his side, only to have him disappear in a poof of smoke. She sensed danger, but it was too late, she felt a strike on her body, just above her butt. The effect was immediate, her legs would no longer move, and she just fell forward, kneeling on her now dysfunctional legs. Naruto simply walked around to the front of her, and crouched just out of arm's reach directly in front of her.

"I was expecting more of a challenge from Lee's team mate. He usually gives me a good workout, when I take my weights off."

"You wear weights? Well that explains why you're so fast… next time we fight why don't we fight like I do with Lee, weights on."

"My weights were on…"

Her jaw dropped. _He's that fast with weights on? Admittedly that's not half as good as Lee, but still pretty fast. If I was at my best I'd have done a lot better_.

"Well, you got lucky. I'm tired, next time you won't be so lucky. Anyway, you're a crazy taijutsu user too?"

He merely chuckled at the comment, upon greater inspection it would've been revealed he was holding back full blow laughter.

"Heh, no. Taijutsu's my weak point. I'm a ninjutsu user, but my specialty is really fuujinjutsu. My genjutsu and kenjutsu aren't half bad either."

"Yeah, I can tell. Wait… Fuujinjutsu? You study seals?"

"eh? Um yeah. They're really interesting."

"Do you think you could show me some better storage scrolls? These things don't hold many each, I wanted to know if there was a better way…"

The chit chat continued for a while, neither noticing the minor injuries on themselves, though Naruto's were already gone, and his had been caused by himself, due to a minor lapse in control during the Flame Orb charge. Finally, Naruto asked what he had been thinking for a while.

"So… how do you get all these weapons anyhow?"

"My family owns a weapons store near the center of town. I'm surprised you don't know of it, though I doubt you often have to restock weapons when you have those staffs of yours."

"Eh heh.. yeah, I rarely re-stock. I have a question for you, would you buy a weapon if it was in good condition?"

Tenten looked at him with curiousity. "I suppose… why?"

"Well, I have something I wanna sell. I sure as heck don't need it." Naruto pulled a scroll out of his vest, once again bringing Tenten's attention to his chest, causing her to blush. _A skilled kenjutsu user with summoned weapons and a great body and beautiful eyes and a HOLY FUCKING SHIT!_

Naruto had pulled out the scroll that had Zabuza's second sword, a famous sword known as 'Serioli' for the man that had crafted it, as shown by the engraving on the blade. It was beautiful, 6 feet long: 5 feet of blade, 1 foot of handle. It had a serrated edge on one side, the 'teeth' pointing down, and was sharpened for slicing on the other end, the point looked perfect for stabbing. The hilt, a shiny silver, looked fairly normal, and the hilt was blood red, also plain looking. However, the engraving on the blade, 'Serioli' was quite obvious.

"So, how much could I sell this to you for?"

"Ummm… I couldn't buy it off you now. Can you follow me to the shop? It's only a little after five and he shouldn't have closed up just yet."

"Sure… Here, I'll help you pick up this stuff."

(15 minutes later)

Naruto chuckled at the sign, marked the 'Ninja Warehouse' with a picture of a stick figure being hit by another stick figure with a knife, wearing a 'ninja' mask, not that you could tell easily. The building was 2 stories tall, but there was only one floor, with a ladder near the front that allowed you to get to the top of a shelf, one of the many shelves lining the walls, covered in weapons. In the back was the checkout desk and a small area to try out weapons, including a rather beat-up training post. There were a few smaller displays with 'limited edition' and 'special new releases', but Naruto and Tenten just walked past it to the counter, where her father stood. Naruto reached back into his vest, pulled out the scroll with 'Serioli' in it, and released it, showing it to the man.

"How much can I get for this?" Naruto asked with a smile.

The man simply gaped. A legendary sword was just brought into his store by one Sarutobi Uzumaki Naruto, chuunin of Konoha, and plopped down in front of him, asking him for the seller's price. Regaining his composure, he spoke in as steady a voice as he could manage.

"Ahhh, Naruto. Good to see you again."

"You too, Iketana, you too." (A/N: This is what I've named her dad since I can't find the real name anywhere, if someone knows it, plz tell me so I can edit this.)

"So, you just plopped a legendary sword in front of me… Sorry to tell you, no one's ever sold it before, so there is no price for the thing. Where'd you get it anyway."

"Off the corpse of a dead Momochi Zabuza. He asked me to find a home for it."

"You… killed… the Demon of the Hidden Mist?"

"Yeah, bastard attacked Hinata and I kinda overdid it."

Naruto looked sheepish, Tenten looked broken. _Why are all the good ones taken?_

"Hinata eh? You getting some candy?"

"err uh.. no nothing like that." Naruto was blushing again, and Tenten was still downtrodden. However, she brightened at Naruto's next statement.

"You didn't tell me you had a cute daughter."

Iketana brought out a mischievous grin. "Why are you curious, womanizer? You thinking of getting a second girlfriend?"

"heh, no, no. I'm good with what I got, thanks. Anyway, what can we do with this sword?"

"Well… buying it may be an issue, I've heard rumors that this sword picks the ones to be its user. Have you tried channeling chakra into it?"

"eh? Um… no…" Picking up the sword, Naruto channeled some chakra into it, but it was sent back out at him in a burst, rejecting the foreign source. Landing on his ass, Naruto got up weakly and grinned at the shopkeeper.

"Iketana… I'd have to say it doesn't like me. I know you don't use chakra much, and it wouldn't do you much good, but how about letting Tenten try, maybe she's lucky."

Tenten, surprised at the comment, looked over at him to see a million dollar smile on his face as he motioned to the weapon. She picked it up, and channeled chakra into it, closing her eyes and expecting the same pain Naruto had felt. However, she was surprised when she felt it getting channeled back into her. She heard several gasps, then opened her eyes to see a very strange sight. The sword's metal had cracked, and she feared she'd broken it, until it broke away entirely to reveal a new sword.

The sword was about 4 feet long, 3 feet of blade, 1 foot of hilt and handle. The handle was completely black, as was the hilt. However, protruding from the hilt was a straight ice-blue. Straight up the middle of the blade was a red streak, which stopped right beneath the tip, but started from the hilt. Engraved in the hilt was one word: 'Iceflame'.

The sword was magnificent. Naruto just looked at it with awe, then got a big grin on his face. "Looks like it likes Tenten. Tell you what, I'll give it to you for free since no one else can probably use it, so you probably can't sell it. Swords aren't really my thing anyway, so no harm done."

Iketana just stared at Naruto after this statement, but Tenten had a much more active response. She placed the sword down on the counter quietly, then walked up to Naruto, her face betraying nothing. She placed a hand on each of his shoulders, then put on a seductive grin, and Naruto suddenly knew that something was about to happen, something that could result badly if not prevented. However, Naruto could not move quickly enough. Tenten put an iron grip on his shoulders, and dragged him into a back room, shooting a glare at her father, telling him not to follow.

Leading him into the very back of the storage room, the only place without windows, she placed him in front of her. Then, she undid her top.

Naruto was too shocked to move. Her hand made their way down her shirt, slowly undoing each button until she had gotten it undone, and she shrugged it off. She then proceeded to remove her bra, her perky breasts now exposed, him not being able to take his eyes away.

_He's mine now_ Tenten thought evilly, the seductive grin still on her face. _He's a kenjutsu user, a good one. He;s about my age, he's absolutely beautiful, and he just gave me a legendary weapon. Dammit, he's mine._

Then, Tenten reached over and took off Naruto's coat and vest, him still frozen in place, to paralyzed to do anything to stop it. Then, as an odd surprise, she leapt at him, flinging him to the ground, where he now lay, with Tenten on top, her legs on either side of his, spread wide around his, her butt in the air while she pressed her bare exposed breasts to his chest. Leaning down, she licked her lips, then locked them with his.

Naruto's mind was going crazy. _I love Hinata! What am I doing here! Why is she half naked? Why am I half naked?! Why is she, whoa._ Their lips made contact, and the reaction was immediate. His 'third leg' was pressed up again her thighs, as she began to squeeze it to make him feel the heat. Naruto's hands were soon traveling her body, until his left found it way to her tight, firm butt, and his left found its way to her right breast, gently rubbing it. She took one of her hands and undid her hair, the other lifting up his head to bring themselves deeper into the kiss, slipping her tongue into his mouth where they soon touched.

Naruto's hands were caressing her body for a good 10 minutes while they held the kiss, and her hands roamed his muscled body, one always staying behind his head, grasping his soft hair and forcing him into the kiss still harder. Only after 10 minutes of Naruto screaming in his own head _WHY? WHY? WHY? WHY? WHY? WHY? WHY?_ Did Naruto come to his senses, however this was mostly caused by Tenten having reached into his pants and grabbing his now fully erect cock. The moan he emitted snapped him out of his predicament. He flipped her over onto her back, her excited that he was finally taking charge, until she was him stand up.

"Tenten… I just met you, and I won't lie, you are beautiful, you are amazing, and certainly any guy who has you is an amazingly lucky guy, but I'm not him. I'm… I'm in love with someone already. This was a mistake.. I'm sorry, I have to go. I'll see you around? Y'know… as friends maybe? I uh.. I just can't do this."

The whole time he was talking, he was slowly pulling his clothes back on, first pulling his pants back up, the pulling on his vest, unzipped of course, then his black windbreaker. Then turning, he cleaned up his face, and walked out as dignified as he could.

Tenten, on the other hand, was fighting not to cry. She had wanted him so badly, he was kind, handsome, funny, and skilled. Everything she could ever want. _I'm not gonna let him get away that easily. Sarutobi Uzumaki Naruto… you will be mine_.

Though the though was a tad evil, she had grown feelings for the young blond chuunin, and she was sure for a second there, she sensed regret in his leaving, he hadn't wanted to go. Tenten would have him, she would make sure of it.

(That evening, council room)

"Ah good, Now that you're all here, I may as well tell you what this is all about." The Hokage addressed the council room. The clan heads looked mildly interested, as did his old team mates. Danzo looked like he was off in his own little world, and the village heads were not paying all that close attention.

"There is a living relative of the Yondaime Hokage" The room was immediately wide awake, all looking at him expectantly. "Namikaze Uzumaki Naruto, he is the son of the Hokage, who sealed the Kyuubi into his own son, not willing to ask anyone else for their child. Naruto was the only choice, and he has figured this out. When he becomes a jounin, we must re-instate the clan, per one of Yondaime's last requests."

The council was split about this. Most of the people who dislike Naruto for the Kyuubi were mildly surprised, having assumed some type of relation due to the fact that they look similar, but his son? That was somewhat startling.

"He also has a new bloodline, possibly more powerful than even the sharingan. It does not yet have a name, but it had the ability to project seals onto objects from a distance. With his knowledge of seals, if he was somehow able to learn Hiraishin, he would be unstoppable."

At this the talking and muttering of the council became a full-blown uproar.

"He could become a threat to us all. If the Kyuubi were somehow able to take control, he'd kill us." Said a village elder. However, most of the rest of the council had a much different opinion.

The Hokage waved his hand, motioning for them to be silent. They did, in fact, fall silent, and The Hokage spoke once again.

"I believe you are all aware of the clan rule. The last of a clan may have multiple wives in order to produce the maximum amount of children, so that the bloodline may be passed along. When Naruto becomes a jounin, we can bring this up again. However, until then, the fact that he is a relative of Yondaime is to remain a council secret, along with the secret of Kyuubi. The knowledge of his bloodline is protected as well, and I will reveal in his file no more than what he will name it. You are not to pass this info on to anyone, as per all bloodline information. This meeting is now over. If you have a problem with this, bring it up in person at a later point in time."

Needless to say, all those who had felt indifferent toward the boy now felt a certain amount of respect, both because he was powerful and because he was related to the greatest Hokage of Konoha. Those who hated Naruto for Kyuubi still hated him, but this was limited to only a few village elders with old grudges. For the most part, Naruto was accepted in Konoha, instead of the indifference of before, though it was unlikely any clan heads would show much of any difference in attitude to the boy.

(That night, Sarutobi compound)

Naruto lay down in his bed, staring at the ceiling. He couldn't stop thinking of Tenten or Hinata. _They're both so beautiful. Hinata is kind, sweet, caring, and beautiful. If she was a color, she would be a beautiful sky blue… Tenten… fiery, hot, a tomboy, but beautiful still, and accepting. If only.. if only I wasn't so confused. What am I supposed to tell Hinata tomorrow? Should I tell her? She'll probably be angry… and I don't want to lose her. Kami. WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO?!_

Naruto got little sleep that night.

Chapter End: This chapter was epic-length, 3 times as long as the others at about 9,000 words. I kinda went overboard, this won't happen often unless I get really inspired and have a day to kill. I did a mini-lemon with Hinata and Tenten there, and you'll be seeing more of that kind of action going on, but nothing too serious yet. Next chapter: Training and the Chuunin exams start. So exciting, can't wait can you?

Review here!! Click!!


	13. Chapter 13

Seals of Fate

Thanks guys. Keep up those reviews, I'm aiming to get 1000, eventually. Anyways, There will be nothing more than mini-lemons until probably after the time skip. This is yet another long chapter... I was inspired.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its contents. If I did, Lee would be Gai's actual son.

Chapter 13: Two Very Long Days

Naruto groggily woke up. He had not gotten a very good night's sleep, having woken up several times from various wet dreams about blue and brown haired girls with perfect bodies that liked jumping on him half naked. Turning over in bed, Naruto saw it was only about 6 AM, whereas his clock had been set for 8, but he knew he wouldn't be able to get back to sleep. Growling, he shut off his alarm and rolled out of bed.

Heading over to the shower, Naruto undressed, once again reliving the experience of his shirt getting torn off by women who wanted him. Stepping into the shower, he let the hot water cleanse him of his cold sweat dirt that he'd slept in last night, too concerned to have showered. To pass time, he reflected over what he had chosen to call his eye. Since the village already had two doujutsu, Naruto figured he would name his in a similar fashion. The Fuingan (Seal Eye). He had not discovered much else the past few days, but honestly, to Naruto, it was like a dream come true. To be able to project and activate seals from afar was an amazing ability, opening a new realm of techniques. Techniques….

This set Naruto off on a new train of thought. _What techniques can I show them?_ Naruto realized he would just help them with what they needed help with, and leave his portable library open to them. Other than that, Naruto's main concern was Hinata. He did not know, however, that his concern was needless due to the events of last night…

Stepping out of the shower, Naruto dried himself, and put on the clothes that a maid had pushed through the slot in the door. Putting on a black muscle shirt, his chuunin vest, some black ninja pants with a red stripe running down the side, black weighted combat boots, and of course, as per his routine, Naruto activated his gravity seals. Unbeknownst to his 'eternal rival' Lee, Naruto's massive healing factor due to the Kyuubi allowed him to up his weights much more frequently. Currently, Naruto was at 35x, making his 'weights' equivalent to about 1120 pounds of force. Of course, as Naruto upped the equivalent weight, it took longer for the muscles to heal, and he still had a long way to go, since Maito Gai, the person Naruto truly wanted to beat in speed, usually wore about 2500 pounds, more than double Naruto's.

Naruto skipped downstairs to get breakfast, and was surprised to see his 'grandfather' Sarutobi already at the table. He had usually gone to the office by the time Naruto got downstairs, but not today because Naruto had gotten up early.

"Hey Ojji-san." Naruto said cheerfully. He may act older, but in reality, Naruto was still only 13.

"You're up rather early…"

"Uh.. yeah, couldn't sleep. Dreams were getting to me."

"Ah, nightmares? Don't worry, those come with the job, the trick is to just not let them get to you."

"Uhhh… no, not nightmares. Definitely not nightmares."

"So then what were those groans you were making last night. Something to do with a certain blue-haired kunoichi?"

Naruto blushed crimson. Sure, he may have been dreaming about Hinata again, but that was none of his grandfather's business. "erm, uh… no?"

"Naruto…."

"Okay, well, maybe." Naruto was willing to admit it… but no more than that. His dream last night was actually rather confusing, and seeing as his grandfather is the Hokage, then he must know something.

"Hey, Ojji-san?" Naruto asked quietly, barely above a whisper.

Sarutobi was surprised. Usually after teasing Naruto about his girlfriend, he would blush and clam up, never saying more about her than necessary. Wondering would could possibly break him from that habit of his, Sarutobi listened attentively.

"Yes, Naruto?"

There was a long pause, before Naruto continued his line of thought.

"Have you ever… liked more than one person at a time?"

If there was a device that could show the level of perverted thoughts going through a person's mind at any given time, it would have exploded coming within 10 feet of the Hokage right then.

"Naruto… anyone in particular, or is this just general. I swear I won't tell anyone."

Naruto was a bit put off that he had dodged the question, but happy that he had someone to talk to. It was probably the most confusing problem that he'd ever had to solve, harder than even the most complex fuujinjutsu theories.

"Tenten…"

"An older girl eh? You like more mature women huh?"

Naruto simply blushed a deeper red in response to the comment.

"Naruto, it's okay to like more than one person, it's normal. Just make sure you are very careful in approaching the situation. If you have to choose, find a way to choose, and if you can't, then find a compromise. Who knows, if you're really lucky, they'll be willing to share."

The rest of the meal went by silently, Naruto looking up only briefly every once in a while, seemingly lost in thought. Soon the meal was finished, and the Hokage headed for the office, Naruto heading to the training fields to get in some practice before training with Team 8.

On his way to the training grounds, Naruto checked all his equipment. Soon he came across a still battered field. This is where he had fought Tenten last night, before starting a whole string of events. Jumping down into the field, Naruto crouched over the crater he had made last night. He decided he was quite impressed by it, seeing as how before last night, the technique lost its power or its speed before collision. Thinking about how he'd used it, Naruto remembered the string of events which led to his dream last night. His dream…

(Mindscape)

Naruto was in his mindscape, relaxing in a hot spring wearing nothing but a thin white towel over his private parts. The steam rose around him, so that he couldn't really see past the edges of the calm pool of water. Time seemed to drag on, but Naruto felt fine just laying there in the heavenly basin.

Two figures began to approach from outside the pool, only their outlines visible. They were both definitely female, and wearing clothing. One with her hair in two buns, the other with her hair short, with longer bangs hanging over the front but to the side. Both figures began stripping.

The girl with her hair in buns began by letting her hair down, the long hair stretching down to her lower back. She slowly slid off her pants, then her shirt, then her bra and panties. She was nude for a moment, before pulling a towel around only her waist, and moving into the pool. When she reached the edge of the water, Naruto recognized her as Tenten, and nearly passed out from a nosebleed. However, it is rather difficult to pass out in one's mindscape, as your mind would then have nowhere to go. She sidled up along side him, her breasts dancing with her movement, her sleek tanned body moving from side to side, swaying seductively. With a blush on her cheeks, she pressed up against him, putting one of his hands against her breast. The soft touch of flesh on flesh left both of them blushing furiously, and this would have continued had Hinata not entered the pool.

Her dark blue hair glistened from the touch of the water, as she slowly made her way towards Naruto. Her body, below her neck, was left as a mystery, obscured by the steam of the hot spring and the dark waters. It could only be guessed at, but as she moved closer, the full outline of her became visible. She then pushed her upper body above the water, to reveal she was wearing a towel around her breasts down to her more private areas. Leaning over, she pressed her lips to Naruto's, the spark between them turning into heat as the kiss dragged on. Their tongues battling for dominance, they pushed themselves deeper into the kiss, wrapping their arms around each other, Tenten only momentarily forgotten. Soon, they broke apart, gasping for breath. This is when Tenten involved herself again.

Ripping off Naruto's towel, Tenten reached down and grasped Naruto's penis firmly. Kissing him, she began to stroke it, up and down, slowly. Naruto's panting grew faster as the pace increased, and even faster as Hinata then pressed herself to him, guiding his hands to her now uncovered breasts. Naruto, responding to the action, leaned down and licked one of Hinata's tits, eliciting a soft squeal from her, soon followed by louder ones. Reaching down with his left hand, Naruto began rubbing Tenten's clit, eliciting form her moans of pleasure. Pushing two fingers against her folds, her moans grew louder. Panting…Squealing…Moans of pleasure…all growing louder and louder until finally….

(exit mindscape)

Due to his thoughts, Naruto did not notice a familiar figure which had crouched down next to him. Tapping on his shoulder, then finally punching him in the head, Naruto broke from his thoughts. Looking next to him, he was surprised to see Tenten, fully clothed, not stroking him off. Shaking his head furiously, Naruto removed the naughty thoughts and blush from his head and face respectively. She noticed the blush disappear, and decided to tease him a little.

"So, Naruto-kun, what were you thinking about?" She put her pointer finger to her lip, an innocent expression on her face, while she crouched down with her legs slightly open.

"Uh…. Nothing…."

Not believing him for a moment, she was about to move in on him, when suddenly a girl appeared behind him, a slightly nervous look on her face. "Naruto-kun" she whispered.

Turning towards her, he recognized her as Hinata, and the paper she was holding out the form that he had left on her table in her room yesterday. With a confident look on her face, she said slightly louder than before: "I will beat Neji".

Naruto just looked at her, then getting up, he hugged her to him. Leaning towards her, they kissed, and this is when Tenten spoke up. "Hey, why does she get a kiss as a hello and I don't?"

Hinata just looked confused for a moment. _What? He's my Naruto-kun, what's she talking about?_ Looking to Naruto for an answer, she saw him sweating… a lot.

"Hinata-chan, can I uh… talk to you about something?"

"Oh so you haven't told her yet?" Tenten piped up, mock-anger on her face.

"Told me what? Naruto-kun, what's going on?"

"Oh, we made out in the supply closet of my store yesterday, tops off and everything. And it was Goooood." While stating this, Tenten pulled at her shirt a little, as if she could 'feel the heat' and stretched out the word good until it hardly counted as a word anymore.

Naruto simply looked shocked at her behavior. _It didn't go down that way, she dragged me! She forced me!_ Naruto snapped from these thoughts and in his panicked state began trying to explain to Hinata, but before he could even get the first word out, a jyuuken palm thrust was pushed into his chest with much more force than he had ever felt from Hinata. It literally knocked the breath from Naruto, and if not for his feeling factor, he probably would have died from the impact. Needless to say he passed out, his last sight being a crying Hinata bounding away into the trees, and a smirking Tenten watching her leave.

(15 minutes later)

Naruto was finally waking up. Normally even the strongest Jyuuken strike from Hinata did nothing but cause mild dizziness and some pain, nothing compared to what his normal training did to him. Opening his eyes, the first thing he saw was an unfamiliar ceiling. It was pink, with a few cracks in it. He was in a bed not his own, with pink sheets and a white blanket over him. To his right was Tenten, looking at him concerned for his health. Apparently when Hinata hit him, she'd deactivated the gravity seals, allowing Tenten to carry him. Tenten was also holding tea in a mug, which she passed to him, seeing that he was awake.

"Drink, you'll feel better."

Naruto, however, ignored her. He pushed the cup back towards her and growled out angrily: "I said it was an accident. I love her, why'd you have to go and do that? Why would you want to do that?"

"Because I like you too…"

This was not what he thought he would here. Certainly, he had only met her yesterday, but after what they'd done, and how indifferently he'd acted towards her, it didn't seem all that unreasonable that she could become jealous. _Still, she had no right to do that. I said it was a mistake…_

"Then couldn't you have brought it up, I dunno, later? I mean, seriously, that wasn't your business, and neither am I."

"Yes you are. You've been nicer to me in the past day than any boy has been to me before. All the girls always called me a tomboy and I never had many friends. The only time I see guys my age are when I got to team practices, and with Neji and Lee do you think I honestly have much of a chance? Neji is too arrogant to deal with, and Lee is just… too weird. You're nice, kind, strong, and you gave me a weapon, a legendary weapon, of nothing more than apparently to see me smile. You surely weren't dismissing me yesterday, why did you today?"

Her voice had started out calm and collected, but gradually grew angrier, until spiking at the end. Naruto knew that yes, she must have had it rough, she was sort of an outcast ninja, using a completely different fighting style than others… and of all the times he'd seen her, she'd always been training alone. _I know of a certain pain of loneliness… I can understand her, but I love Hinata… don't I?_ He was simply searching his mind for confirmation, and he knew he loved Hinata, but a certain part of him liked Tenten too.

"I'm sorry, Tenten… its just… I'll… I'll get back t-to you…"

With that, he leapt out of the bed, and jumped out onto the balcony, then jumping off in the direction of the training field he'd been in before. His team could wait a moment… He needed to find Hinata.

(30 min later)

Naruto had not found Hinata, but he couldn't just abandon the team as well. Arriving at the usual training ground, he saw Shino, Kiba, and Hinata all waiting for him. Throwing a pleading look at Hinata, he was met with a hardened glare, emphasized by an activated Byakugan piercing his soul. Looking away, He opened up his portable library onto the ground, and switched into his 'teaching' mode.

"Okay guys, its only two weeks until the Chuunin Exams start. Are you all intent on participating?"

Naruto was met with nods from the three of them, Kiba and Shino handing him their sheets to be checked over. He handed all three of them their sheets back. "Okay, in two weeks you will have to give those to the people at the registration desk in front of the room where the first test will begin."

Looking over the three of them, he saw Kiba excited, Shino looking impassive as usual, and Hinata just looking at the ground, Byakugan still active and likely focused on him.

"Well guys, I guess you can get started. If you have any questions I will answer as well as I can. There are just a few things you all train this last few weeks in particular. One, all of you, expose your stomach."

Looking at Naruto curiously, they all complied, Hinata not in the least nervous, simply angry. Activating his Fuingan, Naruto projected gravity seals onto all of them, with healing seals over them. The seals took mere seconds to form completely, and were soon glowing green. Seeing their expressions, Naruto remembered not everyone studied Fuujinjutsu.

"Those are gravity seals. Simply pump chakra into them, and they will increases the pull of gravity on you, forcing your muscles to heal and grow stronger. Gravity pulls at about 32 pounds of force, so if you were to push that to the next setting, and trust me, you'll feel the setting thresholds, the force would be increased to 64 pounds of force. Since we don't have much time, I put healing seals on them. I'm going to recommend that today you put all of your chakra into your healing seal and go rest for the day. Tomorrow, whenever you feel a muscle tear, just pull some chakra out of the seal and direct it to the wounded muscle. Yes, this process will hurt like a bitch, and you'll only be able to do it about 4 times per day, but this kind of training will increase your speed and power very quickly."

Kiba looked at Naruto with awe. "I've never heard of this kind of seal before, even with all the stuff they, er, well, you taught us about sealing in the academy."

"That's because I made it. It is incredibly complex, but basically what it does is convert your ckara to healing chakra, store it, and then allow it to travel your chakra pathways. However, some of my chakra is needed for the process to work… so the seal will fade in about 2 weeks with the amount I put in there."

Shino just raised his eyebrows at all the new information. However impressed he was, he knew this is how Naruto got to the level he's at. _If Sakura was half as smart as Naruto… she might be useful._ Shino thought with a chuckle. Little did the rest of team 8 know, Shino had been placing bugs on Sakura in order to gain information on Sasuke and Sai. However, whenever the bugs reported back, one of their main topics of discussion was about how useless Sakura was, and the stories of her failed attempts at getting Sasuke never got old to Shino, it had become his main source of what little entertainment he enjoyed…And what had also probably made him gay. What Sakura spoke of when she thought she was all alone was in fact very scary for the young, stoic Aburame… Before hearing about some of her fantasies, he hadn't even had a wet dream…

Shino was broken from his thought when Naruto continued speaking.

"So anyway, I suggest you fill your seals, and go rest. Oh, and Kiba, let me put one on Akamaru. It'll be weaker since you'll have to use your chakra, but it will function."

Complying, Kiba and Akamaru were soon leaving, as was Shino. Hinata simply stood there, Byakugan no longer active, looking to Naruto.

"Hinata-chan…"

"DON'T CALL ME THAT!"

"Sorry… Hinata, can we talk?"

She gave no response, but Naruto assumed she meant yes since she had not yet left. Motioning for her to come closer, he put his arm around her and shunshined them both several times, until they were atop the Hokage Monument, on the 4th's head. A long pause followed their arrival. Naruto sat down and Hinata soon followed, sitting next to him, but not close as she would've happily done the day before.

"Hinata… it's not what you think."

Hinata snorted in disbelief.

"We… we did make-out" Hinata was growing steadily angrier, but decided to hear him out anyway, Naruto was worth it… for now. Naruto, noticing her shaking slightly in anger, ventured forth "but it wasn't consensual. I was frozen by her… I didn't know what to do. I broke it off, and every second I was thinking about how much I loved you and why it was a mistake.. and I pulled myself away. I told her I loved someone else… Hinata, I love you, no one in the world can replace you, ever."

Hinata was growing teary-eyed over the course of his speech, and at the end simply cried into his chest. It was painful, but she knew he was being honest. It was over, he was hers. "Naruto-kun… promise me you'll always be mine.. promise me."

"Hina-chan" This time she didn't object to the nickname. She was still a little angry with him, but he loved her, she could see it in his eyes. "Hina-chan… that's a promise I can't keep."

Hinata looked up at him and saw sadness in his eyes. She pulled herself away, and felt the anger boiling up again. "Why Not?" She asked in a dangerous tone. Quiet, but dangerous. Talk softly and carry a big stick.

"Because of Konoha… What I'm about to tell you, you can never tell anyone else under penalty of death."

Hinata nodded slowly, and promised not to tell. Naruto acknowledged this, and seemed at a loss for words. Whatever he was trying to say, it was certainly a complex subject…

"Hinata… my father was the 4th Hokage… Namikaze Minato. This makes me the last of the Namikaze clan, and due to my doujutsu in addition to that, Konoha law requires me to have multiple wives. When I become jounin, I am to receive my heritage, and that is likely when the council will bring it up with me. Hinata… even if I say I'll always be yours, that won't be the case… and I can't do anything about that unless I give up my dream… and leave Konoha. Hinata, I'm sorry, but I can promise you one thing, I won't let the others be anyone except someone you approve of….I'm sorry…."

Hinata looked like she'd been frozen in ice since the word 'Namikaze'. She shook her head briefly.. then looked at him, in her head imagining him with longer hair, and without the whisker marks. He was the spitting image of the young Hokage from their history books in the academy. She then turned to Naruto after about 20 minutes, and said the words he'd hoped he would hear. "I understand."

"Thank you… Hina-chan…."

"Only people I find acceptable, right?"

"Yes."

"And I'll be the first you marry, right?"

Naruto was a little distraught at the statement, but soon responded in a quiet voice. "Y-yes…"

"And I will have the first child?" Hinata was blushing at that statement, but she needed the answer anyway.

Naruto was also blushing crimson, even redder than Hinata. "Y-yes…"

"Then" Hinata said resolutely, and with a grin. "it is acceptable, but only since you can't change it."

Naruto let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding, and closed his eyes, head down. At least… until Hinata jumped into his lap, into his arms. He held her close, leaning his head against her hair. He laid back, With Hinata now lying by his side.

"Hinata… there is something else I want you to know… and you can't tell anyone."

She simply looked up at him, knowing nothing could possibly be worse than what he'd just told her.

"Hinata… The Yondaime did not kill the Kyuubi all those years ago. It is impossible to kill a demon… so he had to seal it inside a baby… Do you know when my birthday is?"

"Yes… October 10th…"

"The day the Kyuubi attacked. Hinata, I am the vessel of the Kyuubi, the nine-tailed demon fox. I don't want to hold any secrets from you, but I feel you should know this. This is why I strive to be Hokage. I grew up without parents… I can only imagine what my life would've been like f the Hokage hadn't kept the Kyuubi a secret, if he hadn't taken me in. I don't want to see people alone, because oh so many nights I wish I'd met my parents… I wished, but it was not so. I was all alone, even with a family, I was alone, and I don't want to see anyone like that. I was destined by fate to be hated, but one man changed that for me… and I couldn't be more grateful… You can always change your fate, and you can change the fate of others, and because of what that one man did… I'm here with you now… You'll stay with me, won't you?"

His response was a kiss on the lips. Throughout his talking, Hinata felt closer and closer to the blond haired young ninja, who talked like a wizened sage. He was even more than she thought, someone who protected Konoha every day keeping the Kyuubi at bay… someone who tried to help others, even if he didn't know them, someone who would one day make a great Hokage… and husband. Pulling away, she spoke.

"Always."

She then put all her chakra into her seals and drifted off to sleep. She would awake later to find herself still in his arms, and would look at the stars and towards her future with him, only to once again fall asleep in his arms, pushing against him for warmth.

(Next day)

Hinata and Naruto, wearing the same ruffled clothes they'd worn the previous day, just barely made it to the training ground on time, to see Kiba and Shino having only waited a few minutes. Shino raised and eyebrow, apparently the limits of his forms of expressions, while Kiba went for a bolder, more dangerous for his health, approach.

"Hey Naruto, what'd you do, sleep with her?"

Hinata blushed, but Naruto remained stoic, holding Hinata close to him. "At least I slept with something of the same species, unlike a certain Inuzuka."

Kiba snarled at the comment, while Hinata blushed a deeper red, and Shino's eyebrows disappeared into his hair.

"Okay, activate your gravity seals, and get to work. If your seals run out of healing chakra, come get me, I'll heal it myself. I would recommend starting at no more than 2x. Also, I'll leave out my portable library, clearly you have pretty good control, seeing as you two boys mastered some C-rank ninjutsu in just a week, but I suggest you work on control first, and new techniques later in the week, or at least balance it out. It's easier to learn new techniques with better control. Also, because of those seals, your capacity and control will increase over the two weeks, so you'll be far better by the time the exams start."

Kiba and Shino went off to start their training, while Hinata looked curiously up at Naruto. "What will I be doing?"

"You'll be training specifically to beat Neji. Raise your seal to 5x and come at me. This will be our routine every day for the next week. It will be painful, but I'll help your muscles along so that they heal quickly, and we'll be at it again. By tomorrow, your body will have fully adjusted to 5x, and we'll bring it up to 7x."

Doing so, Hinata immediately felt the strain, and could hardly move, but came at Naruto nonetheless. Her movements were so slow an academy students could've beaten her, maybe even a villager. After a few minutes, she heard a few ligaments tearing, and screamed, but stayed conscious. Naruto was by her side in an instant, and was healing her. The warm feeling spread around the area, healing it in just a few seconds. Their practicing went on for several hours, a few times interrupted by questions from either Kiba or Shino, which were about either controlling their respective affinities or requests for sparring partners, quickly made by Naruto. By about 2 PM, 5 hours of training later, the whole of them were tired, except for Naruto.

"Okay guys, bring it in."

Kiba and Shino lazily dragged themselves over, however Shino managed to look somewhat stoic while doing so, quite a feat considering how tired he was.

"Let's take a lunch break… Meet back here in an hour."

They split up from the training field, leaving their gravity seals on and walking normally under the strain, or well, as fast as they could go… Kiba and Shino left for their respective houses, while Hinata and Naruto headed for Ichiraku Ramen.

On the way to their favorite lunch… and dinner… and occasionally breakfast spot, they noticed an unusual brown-haired girl wearing a very, very tight-fitting tank-top and short denim shorts, leaning against a fence. Next to the girl was an older looking business man, his outline shaking briefly at the sight of Naruto, and to the left of the girl was another girl, with long orange hair, and wearing a purple vest with a pink shirt and blue cargo shorts. All three of them were emitting a slight amount of chakra. Naruto recognized the brown haired girls' chakra signature immediately.

"Hey Konohamaru."

"Boss… once again you prove yourself a worthy rival."

Konohamaru and the corps dropped their henges, and introduced themselves in their normal manner, which both Hinata and Naruto had seen so many times it wasn't even funny. Naruto had known Konohamaru since he'd been born, and the kid had always looked up to Naruto. However, he didn't have the chakra necessary to do what Naruto had done at the kid's age… but he was still the best of the academy students. He spread his knowledge with his friends as well, Moegi and Udon, the two other students now standing behind him and to the sides, and together they were the three best in the academy.

"Hey boss… think you can teach us another technique now? We have henge down!"

"Not now, we're gonna go get lunch then head back to training…"

"Oh c'mon. It won't take long… Lunch won't take you an hour. Or will you be eating your girlfriend's face too?"

Hinata blushed crimson, her quota per day now being approximately 15, down from 50 something when she'd first met Naruto. She turned to face the other way, as Naruto winked at her.

"Tell you what, I'll teach you a new one if you can catch me."

Naruto ran ahead, but pushed himself up to 40x so that Konohamaru would have at least a semblance of a chance. Hinata chose to jog lightly behind the group, as they rounded a corner. A split second afterwards, Naruto had shunshined to the back of the group, so as to avoid hitting someone. However, the Konohamaru corps were not so lucky, and ran straight into a large man about Naruto's height in a baggy black body-suit with what looked like cat ears on the top, and a wrapped human-sized package on his back.

The boy, who was apparently also wearing kabuki face-paint, picked up Konohamaru by the ridiculous scarf he wore, and drew back a fist, then spoke in a threatening voice.

"Hey kid, watch where you're going."

Naruto was in front of the kid in a flash, his gravity seals having turned off, a bit of healing chakra from his own seal healing what he's torn when turning up to 40x. Naruto put a hand over the other boy's fist, and grabbed his other wrist, breaking it and forcing the boy to let go of Konohamaru and let out a small yelp of pain.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you. He's the Sandaime grandson and if you don't want to die I'd suggest you stay away from him."

The boy with the now broken wrist growled, then moved to kick Naruto, only to be stopped by a burning feeling on his wrist. His hand was soon on fire, due to chakra from Naruto. Stating it as if were the simplest thing in the world, Naruto spoke. "Katon: Burning Hands no jutsu", then let go of the boy so that he could deal with is now flaming clothing. It was extinguished by a small sized blast of water that seemed to come from behind Naruto. Hinata whispered to him "Suiton: Water Bullet no Jutsu" and pointed to one of her water bottles now empty and torn apart.

The now very wet boy got up and stared at the two with disbelief, and was preparing to run before a girl with blond hair, more of a pale yellow compared to Naruto's, walked up behind the boy.

"Kankurou, don't start trouble here, even if it is with surprisingly attractive blond chuunin boys."

"Temari, they started it, and what do you mean chuunin?"

"Are you blind? The vest! It's there, clear as day… though" Temari looked to Naruto and gave him a seductive gaze "you'd probably look better with that off, the shirt too."

Temari let her battle dress slide open a little, showing off more of her legs and the edge of her thong, since apparently panties were overrated in Suna. She then threw Naruto a glance, surprised to see that though he was blushing, she had not managed to make any sort of look on longing appear on his face, in fact, she couldn't see much of his face… as his head was soon in his hands while he shook it back and forth.

Naruto was listening to this whole affair, and decided it was fools talk until the girl, Temari, started blatantly hitting on him. At this, he put his head in his hands, shaking it back and forth thinking _Why me? Why me? Why me? Why me? Why me?_

This is also when Hinata let out an indignant huff and glared at Temari, putting one arm around Naruto in order to stake her claim.

Temari saw the interaction, and decided to see if she was a friend, or something more. Heck, if a guy that looked that good with the ability to bring down her brother in a few seconds, probably faster, was available.. who was she to pass up the chance. Sauntering forward, she decided to get what she could, but before she could approach him, Hinata pulled Naruto into a kiss…Temari simply thinking _rats… he looked like a good kisser too_.

Temari, stopping her approach, turned around to hear a voice, her younger brother's voice. "Temari, Kankurou, we are leaving. If I catch you fighting again before the exams… I'll **kill you**."

The last part of the sentence was laced with a demonic aura, which Naruto recognized immediately as that of a tailed demon. Looking at the boy in curiousity, Naruto opened up communication with Kyuubi.

'Kyuubi?'

'**mortal?**'

'That's the Ichibi vessel isn't it, of the one-tailed raccoon demon?'

'**Yes… Shukaku… It appears he had been trying to drive his vessel to the brink.. the bags around his eyes suggest insomnia. Shukaku was always a crazy one, if his seal is weak, it's likely the crazy bastard could escape when the vessel sleeps… lucky bastard. Now get out before I kill you**.'

Naruto knew the seal didn't prevent objects of appropriate size from going through the bars, and not wanting to risk the Kyuubi's claws being able to reach him, Naruto ejected himself for his mindscape. Deciding to be careful about the situation, Naruto looked to the boy. He was about two inches shorter than Naruto, about Hinata's height, with red hair, black rings around his eyes, no eyebrows, and the kanji for 'love' in red on his forehead, above his left eye. He was also wearing fairly non-descript robes, and had a large sand-colored gourd on his back.

"Get control of your demon."

The boy was surprised at that, no one before had managed to either beat his brother that quickly or, more surprising, sense his demon. Narrowing his eyes at the blond haired boy, he asked sharply: "Who are you"

"Your friendly neighborhood seal-master. Hinata, take Konohamaru and his friends to Ichiraku, I'll meet you back at the training area in a few hours. Here, take my portable library, just open it with chakra."

Throwing the scroll to Hinata, she obeyed, sensing the tension of the situation, and led them all away, choosing to go around the group rather than past them.

"My name is Sarutobi Uzumaki Naruto… the seal-master of Konoha. I'm willing to make a deal with you…but first, send your team matess away, and Sasuke… get the fuck out of here or I'll send you off myself."

Temari and Kankurou looked to the boy, who nodded. They then left, leaving their little brother behind. Sasuke on the other hand, jumped out of the tree, and pointed to the red-haired boy. "What's your name?"

The boy responded again in his demonic tone. "**Gaara**"

Sasuke recoiled slightly at the demonic aura, much to Naruto amusement, then said "I am Uchiha Sasuke… and I will kill you." Then he left, walking swiftly away, thinking _Heh, if that guy is as strong as he feels, then he probably has some good techniques, maybe something I could copy to use against Itachi. I just need to make sure I can fight him. That declaration should do it._

Naruto simply looked at the less-than-threatening Uchiha, then turned back to Gaara. "We should go somewhere more… **private**." Naruto said, adding his own demonic voice. Gaara looked surprised, but then focusing recognized the aura of the nine-tailed fox. Shukaku become more crazed, saying he hated 'that damned fox' but Gaara managed to shut out the extra noise with his will. This Naruto guy may just be Gaara's ticket to freedom.

Following the blond-haired demon container, they made their way out of the village, a few miles into the woods, at a reasonably fast pace. They stopped in a small clearing, and looked at each other, and after a pause Naruto spoke.

"I'm sure you've noticed I'm a demon container, and judging from the scared-shitless look on your team mates faces, it's not a secret, correct?"

"they are in fact, my brother and sister. And yes, it is well known. I am feared throughout the village, I am a weapon… nothing more."

"The here's the question… do you want to be more? Is there a person in there who isn't a demon?"

Gaara temporarily pushed out all demonic influence, then spoke again. This time Naruto could tell there was no demonic aura coming from Gaara at all. "Sarutobi Naruto… I have long been hated, never reached out to, and I prove existence by killing. My mother was killed to place the demon inside me… I'm sure you know similar pain… If you are the seal-master you claim to be… can you remove the demon?"

"I have known similar pains.. but I have not lived with hatred. I cannot remove the demon, but I can seal it with a better seal, so that you may live normally, with sleep, and without the demonic voice in your head."

At these words, Shukaku went absolutely nuts. Gaara grasped his head, then spoke one word, half-pleading, half-taunting. "**RUN.**"

Then sand began swirling around Gaara, the demon taking control. The right half of his body was surrounded completely, his eyes changing from piercing green to demonic yellow. His right arm had become three times the size of his body, covered with blue veins. He also gained a tail, roughly the same size, also with blue veins running down it. Naruto simply, and elegantly exclaimed "Oh Shit."

Naruto dropped down to 1x in order to avoid getting hit, and performed his usual: "Raiton: Lightning Staff no Jutsu" and a staff of lightning appeared in his left hand. Dodging the sand that was pooling beneath him, he launched himself into an opening move of the 'Dance of the Nine-Tailed Fox'. Rushing at Gaara, he rapidly threw himself from side to side, dodging the sand arm, and jumped on top of hit, dragging his staff behind him through it. The swath of destruction through the sand was enough for Gaara to lose more control, and form the left arm of sand. Moving with more speed than Naruto thought possible for an arm that size, Naruto got side-swiped by the claw, hearing the cracking of several ribs. Drawing out healing chakra and once again blessing his healing factor, he righted himself in mid-air and leaped off a nearby tree to dodge another swipe. Launching back into the style, Naruto did some quick one handed seals and used Kawarimi to move himself back behind Gaara, slicing off his tail with lightning. Then, carving into the back of the quickly transforming jinchuuriki, Naruto cut off the right arm, and tucked himself into a cannonball of lightning, hurling himself at the torso in an attempt to kill him then and there. However, the left arm came sweeping in, and though unable to move the ball of lightning very far, it destroyed itself and caused Naruto to veer off course, straight through a few trees until he stopped the technique.

"**Is that all you've got? You're weak… and I will KILL YOU!**"

Lashing out with his newly reformed arms, the heavily influenced Gaara covered the area with sand, and quickly captured Naruto in wraps of sand. Completely surrounding him with sand, he prepared to perform his most deadly move. "**Desert Coffin**" Then moments later… "**Desert Funeral**"

The sand surrounding Naruto began to move at him at a very rapid speed. Escaping into his mindscape, time seemed to stop.

(Mindscape)

Looking up at the great beast imprisoned, he said quietly to the Kyuubi.

"Looks like I'm dead. Do you think you could not destroy Konoha?"

"**Idiot. You can perform this seal and you don't know how it works? If you die, I die with you, and there is no way I'm dying now, especially not to a weakling like Shukaku. You will beat him, or I will devour you in the afterlife, many, many times over. Now, accept my power**"

(Exit Mindscape)

The sand exploded, but no blood accompanied it, much to Gaara/Shukaku's surprise. It was blown apart and red tendrils of chakra emerged, surrounding Naruto, until finally forming a cloak and one large red tail swinging around behind him. In his mind Kyuubi spoke. "**Kid, you're in a tailed form, end this quickly or you'll shorten your life.. and mine.**"

Nodding his head, seemingly to himself, Naruto opened his eyes. His doujutsu was active, but it had changed. Naruto's eyes were now bright red, with wide black slits and the kanji for seal what now red, yellow, orange, and sparkling as if it were deadly fire. Seals flashed before Naruto's eyes. _He is small enough to nail with a disintegration seal… but his seal is different than mine, it may just release the beast, I can't afford to do that. If I waste chakra projecting seals too far I may not win this… Wait! I know exactly what to do._

The seals in his eyes settle on a modified explosive seal. Looking at his hands, Naruto projected a dozen onto each hand in the blink of an eye. Naming his technique, Naruto shouted "Fuin: Hand Cannon no Jutsu!". Then, rushing at Gaara, he launched himself into the series of attack again. Dodging from side to side, rolling over the arms, spinning around, Naruto released the seals one by one, eventually leaving only 5 on each sand, and a severely shattered Gaara in front of him. Bounding up in front of him, Naruto placed both hand over each of Shukaku's demonic eyes, releasing all 10 seals at once and blaring in his demonic voice. "**Fuin: Hand Inferno no Jutsu**".

Gaara's head was nearly torn off, the entire rest of his body obliterated by the attack, leaving only the bloody remnants of what was once a human/demon body. The sand around the area began gathering, healing him until the human body was complete again. Then, a roar burst from the mouth of the still demonic head. "**I'M FREE!!**"

Sand gathered and in a matter of seconds, a demon the size of the Kyuubi rose up.

(A/N: I said 50 at the beginning, I believe that was a typo, I meant 150…)

Naruto said quietly "**Oh Fuck**…"

The gigantic Demon Raccoon slashed at Naruto with its left arm, destroying hundreds of trees. Naruto pumped chakra to his feet and jumped over it, but still got a long gash over his right leg, which healed as quickly as it appeared. _Its times like this I wish I had a summoning contract… I'll have to look into that when I survive this… if I survive this._

Dodging several more slashes and using more and more chakra to heal himself, Naruto realized he only had one chance left, to damage the demon to a point where he couldn't regenerate without being forced back inside the seal.

'Kyuubi'

'**Yes mortal scum?**'

'Give me three more tails'

'**You'll be reducing our life span. If you want the power, finish the fight in the next 10 seconds**'

'I will'

A massive burst of demonic energy shot from Naruto. The pain that the chakra was causing to Naruto's skin was massive, but at the state of constant regeneration, Naruto forced himself to ignore it. Moving chakra to his legs, Naruto shot into the air, jumping up 150 feet and using some wind chakra to float long enough to execute his technique.

"**FUIN: 10,000 SEAL INFERNO NO JUTSU**"

Simultaneously placing 10,000 modified exploding seals, each 5 times as powerful as a normal one, spread all across Shukaku's body, more of them focused on the head, Naruto activated all of them at once. The explosion was so powerful that legends later stated that an earthquake shook all of Konoha, and people could see the blaze in all the elemental countries. A bonfire shot nearly 2 miles into the air, creating a pillar stretching to what people thought must've been the heavens, and it created a crater 4 miles in diameter around the center point.

Naruto, though caught in the blast, took no damage due to the cloak. He landed and the demonic power receded. Shukaku's entire body exploded, and Gaara fell 150 to the ground, unconscious, and was caught by Naruto. Naruto lifted the other boy's shirt, and began the sealing process. After a mere five seconds, Gaara's seal had been replaced by one the same as Naruto's. Naruto then kept himself conscious until the ANBU and Hokage arrived. Seeing them, he gasped out a few brief words.

"Tell….Hina….chan… Love…"

Naruto then passed out, his internal organs damaged seemingly beyond repair, his body and mind strained to the limit. His heart stopped beating. All was black.

"NARUTO!"

Heh, cliff-hangers are fun. I'm sure you are all now on edge for the next chapter… It will be very fun, full of cool stuff. I hope you enjoyed my fight scene, brief though it was. I'm not great at writing action, but I'm trying.

Review plz!


	14. Chapter 14

Seals of Fate

Yeah, I like doing cliff hangers, leaves you obligated to read the next chapter. I got 21 reviews in 3 hours… nice job guys, keep it up. Also, please be patient with me, the harem will be developing over time.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its contents. If I did, Kyuubi would get confused chasing his tails.

Chapter 14: Training and Transformations.

**Beep…beep…beep…beep…beep…**

Naruto awoke to the sound of a heart monitor slowly beeping in the background. Staring at the blue ceiling of his hospital room, he noticed he was also hooked up to a breathing machine, and that there were various doctors and nurses running around his room. One of them saw him wake up, and shouted something to the others. Two people were suddenly before him, one doctor, and one ANBU in a dog mask. The doctor was looking at him in a mixture of disbelief and relief, while the dog mask showed nothing, as it was a mask. Looking up at them, he could feel the beginning of red chakra entering his system, and could feel each of his individual bones healing, his chakra pathways healing, and soon an eruption of chakra. Blacking out again, he was soon in his mindscape.

(Mindscape)

'**I WILL BE FREE FROM THIS CAGE!**'

'Wha…what's happening to me? What's going on?' Naruto was stuttering in front of the crumbling cage. The word 'seal' on the middle of the cage was partially torn, and the bars were breaking down.

'**FOOLISH MORTAL. I MAY HAVE RESPECTED YOU, BUT THE SEAL HAS WEAKENED. I WILL ESCAPE.**'

The Kyuubi began to attack the cage, the bars slowly weakening. Naruto could do nothing but watch in terrible fascination as the seal began to weaken. One of the tails whipped out of the cage, breaking a bar and ejecting Naruto from his mindscape.

(Exit Mindscape)

Looking around, Naruto could see the tendrils of red chakra swirling around him, throwing a few of the medical staff through walls, while the rest chose to flee from the room as fast as they could. Only the ANBU with the dog mask remained, performing some Jutsu that appeared to be strengthening the seal, if only momentarily. Looking up at him pleadingly, Naruto found he could not speak, but mouthed 'help me'.

The man in the ANBU mask looked to him and shouted over the roar of the energy "SEAL IT!"

Tails began to emerge from Naruto. The first four appeared in an instant. The pain which surged through Naruto's body continued, and heightened as the fifth tail formed. Activating his bloodline, his eyes were now red and slit, with the kanji for seal acting like fire, burning Naruto's eyes. The sixth tail formed. Scrolling through all the seal he knew, Naruto remembered what he had done to Gaara. Bringing up the seal, Naruto lifted his shirt, or tried. The seventh tail formed. Using all his strength, the Anbu focused a beam of blue chakra onto Naruto's stomach, destroying his shirt and revealing Naruto's stomach. The eighth tail formed. Naruto focused what chakra he could into his eyes and projected a new four image seal over the old one, removing it. The 9th tail, half-formed, receded. Moments later, the rest of the tails receded back into Naruto. The last of the evil chakra moving back into his body, Naruto noticed a deformity of his seal.

Whereas the seal he'd had before had a spiral in the middle with the eight divination signs surrounding it, this seal showed the ying-yang sign with two fox heads instead of the usual dots. The seal was black and white, and surrounding it were four larger divination seals. Interlaced in the seal was a pattern of nine tails spreading out from the center.

The ANBU was just staring at him, panting. Suddenly, he noticed something unusual. Either the boy was still under demonic influence, or his doujutsu just changed. Deciding it would be better to inform the boy, the man spoke up.

"Uzumaki-san… I believe I was told your doujutsu is green… correct?"

Looking up at the man, Naruto was surprised to see that he was still there. He didn't even look like he'd been affected by the demonic chakra. Not hearing the question, Naruto just spoke his mind.

"Who are you?"

"Tenzou, ANBU captain."

"Why aren't you dead from the chakra?"

The question made Tenzou slightly uncomfortable, but he knew he wouldn't get any more information out of the boy if he didn't answer truthfully. "I hold a bloodline that helps in controlling demons. I wasn't killed because your demonic chakra couldn't hurt me by striking at random."

"Ah… that sounds… helpful."

"Yes. Now Uzumaki-san, isn't your doujutsu normally green?"

"Yes… why?"

"Because your eyes… they're still red."

Naruto looked over at some broken glass on his bed from when the windows had shattered, and seeing his reflection was surprised to see that they were, in fact, still in demonic form. Noting that his eyes could be like an Uchiha's, and could possibly have multiple levels, Naruto decided to see if anything had changed.

"Your name was Tenzou, right?"

"Yes, Uzumaki-san."

"Tell me… are my eyes still scrolling through seals?"

"Yes, Uzumaki-san. Why do you ask?"

"I'm trying to figure out if my eyes have different levels of power, trying to figure out if something changed."

"I'm afraid I don't know how to help."

Naruto was slightly disappointed that the ANBU couldn't help, but decided it wasn't his fault. Looking down at his stomach, Naruto did discover something new. Staring at his seal, he could feel knowledge entering his mind. He suddenly knew exactly how the seal worked, even though he'd never seen it before.

"Hmm… it appears I copy seals… in the same way Uchihas copy ninjutsu?" Naruto muttered to himself.

"Sorry, what was that?" The ANBU inquired. Naruto had momentarily forgotten the man was there, but decided it was worth keeping someone around to talk to.

"I am correct, I reached a different level of my doujutsu, or at least I think I did. I can project seals like before, however something else has happened, I can analyze seals. I looked at my new seal, something I've never seen before, and suddenly knew what it did, without needing to go do research or anything."

"Interesting… I guess you really are a surprising ninja. Still can't believe you beat a demon."

The statement brought back memories. Memories of his battle with Gaara, of resealing him, of his bones broken, the bleeding, and death. _How did I survive… am I alive right now? How can I feel fine? How long have I been out? Is Gaara okay? Is Konoha okay? Where am I?_ Deciding to voice his thoughts, he caught the man's attention again and spoke softly.

"Am I… alive?"

"Yes. You are in Konoha hospital. You took severe injuries, and looked like you were about to die when the Hokage, me, and my squad arrived. Our team medic began healing you, but you just absorbed the chakra and healed yourself. After that, we all fed Chakra into you, including the Hokage, into near exhaustion. We finally brought you here, hooked you up to the machines, and just as we finished you woke up. It shouldn't have been possible, but you did."

"Wait… what time is it?"

"About 4 PM… Y'know, that was quite a feat. You blew up a demon. Kid, you're gonna be a legend." Tenzo took off his mask and looked down at Naruto with an affectionate smile, which simply looked strange on the man's face. Grasping Naruto's hands, he laid the boy back down on the bed and looked him over. Of course, thanks to the demonic chakra there were no cuts or bruises, but the boy still looked different, as if he'd aged a year. His whisker marks were not more defined, he was about two inches taller, his muscles more defined as well, and his hair had changed. The boy's hair now reached just below his shoulders, growing a year's worth in a few minutes. The boy switched his doujutsu off, returning them to their normal bright cerulean orbs, and he looked just like the Yondaime. Also, the boy's canines were slightly elongated, his ears a tad bit more pointy, but other than that, he looked like a normal 14 year old, approaching 15.

"Kid, you'll be fine. I need to go get the Hokage, don't let any more of that chakra escape."

Naruto, agreeing, decided to just lay down. Five minutes later, the Hokage entered with a small smile. Leaning on a cane, he looked frail, but in combat he could still beat just about any ninja into submission. He may be old, but he was powerful guy, still radiating an aura that screamed 'I'm a nice, happy guy, but get on my bad side and there'll be hell to pay'.

"Naruto, glad to see you recovering. I must admit, it took a lot of my chakra just to keep you alive."

"Yeah, yeah, just another one I owe you Ojji-san."

"Naruto." The Hokage became serious, his tone of voice suggesting Naruto keep his mouth shut. "Naruto, I heard what happened from Tenzo, he said you knew what the seal you put on yourself did… care to explain?"

It wasn't a question, and Naruto wasn't one to withhold information anyway. "It appears to do about the same thing, except that now instead of slowly filtering the Kyuubi's chakra into my own, it has merged mine with his. That is what the Ying-Yang appears to mean. The four divination seals are there to keep him contained within me, but also merge him with me. The nine tails, however, show how much of his power I am using while merged with my own. I can only guess, but the more tails of power I use, the less control I'll have over it. It seems from my fight than right now, any more than four, and I will lose control. Also, it caused pain to go beyond one tail. Still… that puts me with about the chakra capacity of a high jounin on average… and it will take a while to get better control, but over time it should become easier to use the tails. I suspect I won't be able to go up to two tails easily for another few years…"

The Hokage was surprised by this, but happy to know exactly what the new seal did. It is better to know exactly how the Kyuubi was contained.

"Is the seal strong? Will it hold it, or will what happened before be occurring on a regular basis?"

"The seal is strong. The Kyuubi can't get out without splitting its chakra from mine, which will kill it and me. If I die, the Kyuubi will die, if the Kyuubi tries to get out, we both die anyway. It may actually be more effective in that respect."

The Hokage leaned in and examined the seal. Though his knowledge of seals was vast, he was no Yondaime, and he did not have an eye that could tell him exactly how such things worked. However, after examining it for several minutes, the Hokage agreed with Naruto's assumption.

"Naruto, I believe you are correct. Still, I want you to stay here for the night. You just fought a demon and despite the fact that you appear to be fully recovered, I want you here to be monitored. Get some rest, tomorrow I will be bringing in a man who can give us a second opinion on the seal."

Naruto would've objected, but there was a certain amount of finality in the Hokage's voice. "Okay, Ojji-san. But can you let me have visitors at least? I want to talk to Hina-chan…."

"Ah, sure. She's actually been here for the last few minutes. I think she saw the trouble and immediately thought of you."

"OJJI-SAN!" Naruto whined as the old man left.

Naruto sat in silence for a few minutes, then laid back onto the bed, closing his eyes. Drifting off to sleep, he soon felt something warm and soft against his side. Waking up, he looked over and saw Hinata curled up against him on the bed. The lights were out, and the stars were shining out the window. _Must've been asleep longer than I thought_.

Looking down at his blue-haired princess, Naruto noticed he must have grown, and that in fact, his whole body had grown. He noticed his own muscles as more defined, and that his hair was longer. _If I had a mirror, I bet I'd look just like dad._ His thoughts were interrupted, however, when he noticed two white eyes peering up at him.

"Hinata…"

"Naruto…"

The moment dragged on forever. Then, breaking himself from her gaze, Naruto glanced at the clock. It was a little past 11 PM, and he figured she'd been there a good 6 hours or so.

"Naruto-kun…." Her voice was sharp this time. "Don't you ever… don't you ever go off and fight like that on your own. I wanted to be there… with you. I love you, so don't you ever try to fight alone again."

"Hina-chan… I'm sorry. Tomorrow, tomorrow I'll make it up to you. I promise."

She seemed content with his response, but wanted a bit more. "Anything I want to do, right?"

"Um… you got something in mind?" After all, she'd had many hours to plot what she would be getting from him, she must have been thinking about it from the beginning.

"Oh, you'll see. Now sleep… I like watching you sleep."

Naruto complied, and closed his eyes. Wrapping his left arm around Hinata, he felt her snuggle up closer, and they both fell asleep, enjoying the warmth coursing between them. It had been a long day.

(Next Day)

Naruto woke up to hear snickering, and what sounded like the scratching of a pen. It sounded almost perverted, the giggling, but he brushed it off knowing it was probably in his head. After all, only he and Hinata were in the room, or so he thought. Looking down at Hinata, he saw that she had taken off the coat she'd been wearing last night, and now was pressed tightly against him in a light blue cotton top and dark blue denim shorts. Her left leg was positioned over his left, and they were both under the blankets. Had someone seen this, they could've had some very, very wrong impressions.

Looking around the room, Naruto spotted a man with long white hair, wearing green robes with a red vest over it, giggling and furiously writing notes onto a pad of paper. His Hitai-ate showed the kanji for 'Toad'. Seeing the man not stopping his writing, Naruto decided too get his attention.

"Uh, excuse me? What are you doing?"

"Research."

The man did not explain further, and continued to write, and Naruto was about to ask him again when Hinata woke up. "Naruto-kun… Do you feel better? You must be awfully sore from yesterday even with your healing…"

The white-haired man seemed to redouble his efforts after that, much to Naruto's annoyance. Wanting very much to see what exactly the man was writing, Naruto did some one-handed seals and whispered his Jutsu "Fuuton: Object Retrieval no jutsu". A gust of wind coming from seemingly nowhere blew the notepad out of the man's hands, into the air, and over to Naruto, where he caught it and began to read. The man reacted quickly, running over and snatching it before Naruto could read much, but he got the gist of it.

"Pervert. If I end up as part of your research I'll hunt you down and kill you. Now what do you want."

"Hey" The man shouted indignantly. "I am not a pervert, I am the world renowned toad sage, holder of the toad contract and the envy of men, the desire of women everywhere. I am Jiraiya the Toad Sage and Super Pervert!"

"Pervert."

The fight would have escalated had the Hokage not walked in. Looking between the two and the one very confused, yet seemingly very comfortable Hinata, he decided to silence the room.

"Naruto, this is the man I was talking about yesterday. He knows a great deal about seals, much more than me. He is here to examine your seal, taking a break from his travels. Don't worry, he knows all about the Kyuubi, you can trust him. Now let him see it."

Naruto gently pushed off the covers, and Hinata at the same time so as to avoid too much suspicion, even if nothing had happened. Hinata was slightly miffed that her giant pillow had pushed her off, but was glad that Naruto was getting checked out. She wanted her Naruto-kun safe.

Jiraiya looked over the seal. Based on what the Hokage had told him, he affirmed that Naruto's assumption was mostly correct. "Naruto, this seal will in fact hold back the Kyuubi, and it has already fully mixed your chakras. However, it appears that it is also linked to your doujutsu. With each tail you use, you'll probably strengthen it. Also… it appears to be linked to your healing. With each tail you use, you'll heal faster, but it will also damage your skin while regenerating it. Once the chakra start hurting you, it means your life-span is shortening. I'd say you lost three years of your life yesterday, also causing you to age faster, To be honest, you look like you grew a year, based on the picture I was given of you from when you became chuunin…"

This was really no surprise to Naruto, he knew this when he noticed how long his hair had gotten, and his muscles, and other things while talking to Tenzo.

"Can I leave now? I still need to train the team for the exams in two weeks…"

"Yes, we've already filed your papers, though I think you'll have a lot to explain to a few people. We'll leave you alone now… just leave when you're ready."

The door closed behind the two men, leaving Hinata and Naruto alone in the room, more specifically, in the bed.

"Hey Hinata, what was it that you wanted to do today anyway?"

"Oh, not much, but I think you'll like it." Hinata said in a quiet, but playful tone of voice.

"I'm sure I will" Naruto said, dreading what was to come. He knew that tone of voice well, it meant he was going to be doing something he wouldn't enjoy… like shopping…

"Can we at least do it after training?" Naruto asked, pleadingly.

"Oh no, you aren't training at all today. Training will resume tomorrow. Today, we go shopping for clothes that'll fit you now, you grew, by my estimate, about three inches, and you're a lot bigger."

Naruto was simply thinking: _I hate being psychic_

(A few hours later)

After two hours of shopping, Hinata had picked out five new outfits for him. Choosing clothing for him was one of her guilty pleasures, since she was a girl and she liked seeing him in different outfits, and since he could never resist her asking if she made her puppy dog eyes, which are even more effective with her Byakugan, while not active. Giant moon-like orbs of white-silver make for very, very good puppy-dog eyes. So by the end of two hours, Naruto was thoroughly exhausted and was now watching Hinata get her own clothes. Every once in a while, she would pop out of the dressing room in something, waiting for a response from Naruto. She began to gauge how good an outfit it was by the size of his nosebleed. Eventually coming out in a purple silk dress with lace around the cuffs and bottom, with a darker purple scarf around her neck and some red two inch heels, Naruto lifted his eyes to her, and nearly died from blood loss. He literally flipped over the back of the bench he was sitting on from the force of the nosebleed. Needless to say, she bought the outfit.

Their last stop of the day was the lingerie store, in which Naruto always felt awkward. He stood awkwardly outside the changing room, for what seemed like forever, because of course Hinata would never come out and show him…

Shaking his head out naughty thoughts, Naruto heard the ring of the bell on the door of the shop. Looking over, he saw Tenten alone, going about her shopping. Seeing Naruto, she stopped, then got a mischievous grin.

"Hey Naruto-kun. Are you coming to-"

She was cut off by Hinata who rushed out of the changing room and clasped her hand around Tenten's mouth. She whispered something in her ear, then was about to turn around when she heard something clatter to the floor. Noticing that she was only wearing a pair of white panties, and no bra, Hinata turned tomato red, and craned her neck around to see an unconscious Naruto and several bags strewn onto the floor. Quickly re-entering her changing room, She called for Tenten to wake Naruto up before he died of blood loss.

Tenten, smacking Naruto on the head, woke him up and threw him a wink. "Y'know… I'll be in that changing room right over there, feel free to come in."

Naruto couldn't have blushed more deeply if he'd tried, or so he thought. At that moment, an unusually happy Temari and a seemingly dead Kankurou entered the shop. Temari took one look at Naruto, then rushed over and hugged him, pushing his head to her chest. Gasping for air, he choked out "Hi..na..ta…help…"

A fully dressed Hinata emerged, and looking at the scene found herself torn between smacking Temari and laughing at Naruto. Oh, tonight would be fun. Temari soon let go of the suffocating Naruto and turned to him to explain. "It's just uh… Gaara, he's, he's normal again. He talks to us.. he sleeps, I… I was just thanking you and…"

She stopped talking, due to a wink from Hinata that Naruto was left oblivious to. "Naruto-kun, let's go."

Nodding to Hinata, he complied and followed her out the door. However, upon reaching the threshold, he heard Tenten's voice float to him from the dressing rooms. "Naruto-kun, look."

Turning despite the voices in his head loudly yelling _IT'S A TRAP! DON'T DO IT_, he saw what would be joining the half-naked Hinata in his wet-dreams. Tenten was standing there in a red thong and teddy combo, striking a seductive pose, licking one of her fingers and drawing it up her thigh and tight… round…firm…

Naruto collapsed. Hinata was then forced to carry him back to the Sarutobi household. Hinata had only two thoughts. _I told her to keep it at a minimum until tonight… thank kami he doesn't have his gravity seals active._

(That Evening)

Hinata had told him to get dressed up and come down in half an hour to see his surprise. Coming out of the shower with towels on to make sure Hinata didn't accidentally see him, Naruto moved to his room. He saw that Hinata had laid out clothing for him, namely a black silk button-up shirt a little longer than normal so that it hung off his frame, and gray slacks that cuffed at the bottom. Putting on some normal white socks, Naruto waited the last 2 minutes before going downstairs. Heading to the living room as he'd been told, he noticed it was dark. Hearing his name from within, Naruto ventured forth into the room, flipping on the lights. In front of him was an image that would be forever burned into his mind.

Hinata was wearing that purple dress with a dark purple scarf and red heels, drawn up on the couch. Her left leg, crossed over her right, was exposed up to her lower thigh by a slit running up the side of the dress. She was absolutely gorgeous.

To her right, sitting across an armchair, legs draped over the right arm rest, was Tenten. Her hair was hanging down in an elegant manner, not messy but instead looking as silky and smooth as her skin. Her red chinese dress with golden dragon figures running up the sides and centering on her chest brought out her eyes and natural beauty.

Finally, leaning against the wall was Temari. Her hair was done up in her usual four pony-tails, and was wearing a very, very tight blue tank top with light blue denim shorts only reaching to mid-thigh. Naruto couldn't imagine her in a dress, so it didn't really matter much.

Gaining control of mouth and closing it, as he had been gaping at the sight, Naruto spoke what little he could manage.

"Uh… hi?"

Hinata noticed his apparent unease, and after winking to the other girls, led him away by the arm into the next room.

"Naruto-kun… I know I will never have you all to myself, but you said yourself I must approve of whoever else will be with you as well… I talked with Tenten yesterday… and I can see her reasoning. She needs someone strong in her life, and she wishes to repay you. She has no desire to steal you from me, and after I explained what was going on to her… I hope you don't mind… She and I talked and I agreed she was a good choice… what do you think?"

Naruto was briefly at a loss for words, then thought of something he hadn't before. "No, I don't mind that you told her, but why would you do this? Wouldn't you, I dunno, want me for yourself?"

Hinata sighed, but explained. "Naruto-kun… its just, I know there'll be others eventually, and I figure its better that you have an actual relationship with them before you marry. I admit, I want you all to myself, but I'm already getting the first…child…and I know that you'll never be only mine."

Naruto was shocked to hear her say this. Usually she stuttered and blushed whenever talking about relationship-type things, but this Hinata was serious, thoughtful, and loving… and Naruto liked it. Leaning over, he caught the surprised Hinata in a kiss, which continued for a few minutes before they broke apart.

"Wait, but why is Temari here?"

"She said she wanted to talk to you… and I invited her…"

"Ah… okay…"

At that moment, Temari spoke up. "Well, now that you lovebirds are done kissing, can I speak to him?"

Hinata blushed, having not realized she'd seen them, and quickly rushed into the other room without making eye contact. Naruto simply looked amused, then turned to Temari.

"Alright, what's this all about?"

"You and the Namikaze clan."

"Wait.. you know too? Does the whole goddamned village know?!"

"No… your Hokage and my dad, the Kazekage, arranged something between them. After Gaara came back, with the demon under control, my dad came to your Hokage for answers. Apparently, not only are you the container of the Kyuubi as explained by Gaara, but you are a seal-master, hold a powerful doujutsu, and are the son of the most powerful Kage ever… I don't understand all of it, but essentially my father is trying to establish better connections with Konoha to get economic help, and to solidify relations, at the age of 18 I am to marry you… if you accept."

"18? That's a while from now isn't it?"

"Yes, but it is that way so I can reach Jounin level before coming to live here. Heh, maybe by that time I'll be really lucky and you'll be Hokage. Yes, I heard of your dream when Hinata talked to me yesterday."

Naruto was, once again, befuddled, but after a few minutes worked it out in his head. _18 huh? Well, she's right, I probably will be Hokage by then, If I keep working hard. If the Hokage thinks this is a good idea… Temari seems nice enough. Better than someone else… wait… someone else?_

"Temari… why me, why not Sasuke or some other clan's prestige?"

"Because…. You saved Gaara. You helped my brother, saved him. He's, human again, and I just want to show you how much that means to me. No one before has ever been able to reach him, to do what you did in just a few short hours. You gave him life again… and I want to tank you. Naruto…I requested you because, I like you. You seem exactly like the kind of person I'd like to be with…"

Naruto closed his eyes, and thought for a brief moment, before opening them and getting cut off, just as he was about to speak. Temari was gazing straight into his eyes, mere inches from his face. With a seductive look, she whispered: "Say yes"

Naruto, paralyzed by her, did the only thing he could. "Yes."

And with that, Temari leaned forward and kissed him on the lips. It was short, gentle, not at all what one would expect from Temari, but this was only a prelude to what would come in a few years.

Naruto escorted Temari back into the living room, where Hinata and Tenten had turned on music and were dancing with each other. Deciding to join in, Naruto and Temari danced, Temari not exactly used to the feeling but quickly catching on. The night soon ended and Temari said only a few brief words to Naruto at the door, after Hinata and Tenten had already left.

"Naruto-kun… thank you. I'll be leaving after the chuunin exams, and you probably won't see me again until I make jounin unless you come to Suna, so please remember to come and see me sometimes. I don't want to get too out-of-touch with my future husband."

With a kiss on the cheek and a wink, she left, leaving Naruto to get back to what he was doing. Oh, right, passing out. Naruto made it onto the couch before falling asleep, his final thoughts were: _Three girls in just a few weeks… I'm either lucky or cursed._

(Next Day)

Naruto got up like usual, went upstairs, showered, dressed in his usual tank top, chuunin vest, and ninja pants. Cutting his hair, Naruto left two lengths of hair hanging in front of his ears, but left it spiky on top, moving down his neck only slightly.

Turning on his gravity seals to 40x, Naruto found he could still move as easily as he had at 35x. Pushing it up, He found his more developed body could now handle 50x, approximately 1600 pounds worth of force. Pumping some chakra to his eyes, he activated his doujutsu and projected a density seal onto a kunai. Pumping a bit more, he activated the second level, and analyzed it. Sure, he knew what it did, but with the second level he could see the mechanics. Surprised by the simplicity, Naruto slightly adjusted the seal, making it more effective. Memorizing this information, he removed the seal and decided to do his morning speed training on the way to the training ground. Turning off his gravity seals, Naruto flung the kunai with a massive amount of force, straight to the training area. Sprinting, Naruto arrived at the area, panting, before catching the kunai he had thrown a mere 2 minutes ago. Sitting down to rest, he saw all of Team 8 looking at him curiously. Turning his gravity seals on again to 50x, Naruto explained.

"I raced my kunai here."

"What do you mean 'raced'?"

"I mean I threw my kunai here from the estate and ran here to catch it."

"Wait… your house is like, 10 miles that way" Kiba replied, pointing in the direction Naruto had come from. "How did you throw it that far, let alone run here before it."

Pointing to his seals, Naruto just said "Once you get these things to a certain point, its not really that hard."

Kiba and Shino dropped the subject, until Kiba spoke up again. "What happened two days ago with that demon thing, everyone is saying you killed a demon."

"I did not kill a demon. I merely fought it and sealed it. It's impossible to kill a demon. As for that incident, you needn't know anything else." Naruto finished with a stern look, which forced Kiba to drop the subject. Then Naruto continued.

"We have 12 days until the first part of the chuunin exams. After the second part there will be a month long period where you will be given time to train for the exams, assuming you make it that far, and when that time comes, Aliera will be training you again. My job is just to make sure you all get there, so get to work. Kiba, Shino, have you been having any problems with the scrolls?"

"No" They replied in unison.

"Good, now go spar." Creating 200 Kage Bunshins, Naruto sent them off to fight Kiba and Shino one by one, meaning that in about two hours, they could take a break, if all went well.

"Hinata, let's go."

Leading her away to a different part of the training field, Naruto began his lecture to Hinata of the fundamentals of the nine-tailed fox style of fighting. Only explaining the bare minimum for what Hinata would need to know, they were soon sparring once again. The rest of training time progressed much like this, with Naruto, Hinata, Tenten, and Temari going out for dinner every two days or so.

By the last day of the training, all three of them had improved greatly, and were equally thankful when their gravity seals finally faded, though surprised at how large their chakra stores had grown from usage of the seal, and how much better their control had gotten. Kiba and Shino had mid-chuunin level control and chakra stores, whereas Hinata had low-jounin control, but only low-chuunin levels of chakra. All of them had learned several new moves, including their family jutsu, and considering how word spread of Naruto's method of teaching, they had become the team to bet on for the events. (A/N: I will be keeping their abilities secret for now, surprise is always good)

On the day of the exams, all three of them met just in front of the academy, where several other teams had gathered. Making sure everything was in the proper place, the three made their way up to room 301. However, upon reaching the second floor, they saw a particularly unusual sight. A wall of wood had positioned itself between the genin teams and the stairs to the next floor. Hinata, recognizing the oddity, activated her Byakugan. Seeing through the genjutsu. The three of them shunshined to the other side so as to avoid the suspicious looks they would receive for just walking through the wall. Kiba mentally thanked Naruto for teaching them that the third day, it had proven to be a miracle-worker for getting around.

Moving up to the third floor, they found themselves in the old academy training area. Looking down on the area, they saw a most unusual sight. The Uchiha, Sasuke, was fighting a boy clad in green spandex, whom Hinata recognized as Lee from Tenten's team. If she was here, then this exam was just going to be more fun. _After all,_ Hinata thought, _I still have to get her back for that underwear trick two weeks ago._

Giggling in her head, she failed to notice both Shino and Kiba shunshin past the fight to the next hallway. Hurrying to catch up, she reached them just as they all reached Naruto, who was standing in front of the door to room 301. Grinning, he scanned over all of them, his eyes briefly sweeping Hinata's figure, for which she blushed.

"I am very proud of you all today, and I'm sure Aliera is as well. All I ask is that you try your best. Now go kick some ass." Naruto finished in a less than elegant fashion.

Kiba grinned back, and Shino showed a small smile. Naruto had indeed helped them grow to be much stronger than before, they owed him a lot. Opening the door, they were about to walk in when Hinata kissed Naruto on the lips. Both blushing slightly after a minute or two, they released each other and Hinata entered the room, along with a teasing Kiba and a Shino who was used to the act and showed relatively no emotion. He liked guys after all.

Entering the room, Team 8 looked around, and prepared for the coming tests. This was gonna be one bitch of an exam.

Chapter end. Cool, huh guys? Well, same as always, read and review. Especially the review part. Oh, I wrote this in parts, so if something is particularly inconsistent, tell me. My beta reader (no offense to him, he's a cool guy) has a habit of reading things in parts… so things get kinda messy.

Next chapter: The exam begins!

REVIEW!


	15. Chapter 15

Seals of Fate

Sorry guys, I got caught up a lot these last few days, what with recovering from accidentally stabbing my foot and all. Thanks for the updates, and sorry, but after the chuunin exams we won't be seeing much of Temari for a while. Also, this may be a Naruto fic, but it won't revolve entirely around him, character development and all is good. If you want meaningless fluff look elsewhere. Now keep up the reviews ppl!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its contents. If I did Temari would use the weasels more often, because weasels are awesome.

Chapter 15: Prove Yourself

Entering the room, Team 8 looked around. The room had only a few teams from each village, about 34 teams total by the looks of it, 35 with Team 8 included. Moving quietly, Hinata led the rest of Team 8 up to the top of the rows of desks that occupied this room, as it was a room of the academy. Noticing Tenten, Hinata brought the team up to theirs. Hinata and Neji looked at each other hard for a moment, before turning so that she could go talk to Tenten, which she did. Shino looked impassively at the male Hyuuga, before talking to his bugs, and Kiba started up a conversation with Lee, who somehow managed to speak quietly while still discussing 'flames of youth'. The chit-chat lasted about 5 minutes until Sasuke walked in, with Sakura on one side staring up at him with big puppy-dog eyes, and Sai on the other, focusing his gaze on Gaara, then turning back to look at what he dubbed the 'Sasu-Saku theatre of horrors'. They were followed by the rest of the Konoha rookies, namely by team 10; Ino, Shikamaru, and Chouji. Both teams headed up to meet with the other rookies.

Sasuke made a beeline for Kiba, knowing the brash, abrasive kid he was would make him reveal details about Naruto. Despite the fact that Naruto was now a chuunin, and likely to be a jounin rather soon, he was the only person Sasuke felt he could accurately measure himself against, since he was the strongest one of their age group.

"Kiba." Sasuke said in an authoritative manner, one finger pointed at the boy, his other at his side.

"Hai, Sasuke-sama" Kiba responded, standing at attention and very clearly mocking the way the Uchiha made his presence known.

At this, both Ino and Sakura began heading for Kiba to bash him on the head for insulting Sasuke, but were stopped by the Uchiha speaking again.

Glaring at the boy he spoke. "Foolish Inuzuka. Do not mock an Uchiha, we are your betters after all."

Chuckling at the comment, Kiba responded. "My better? Heh, you keep thinking that. And what do you mean 'we'? There's only one of you left."

Sasuke was mildly taken aback by the stab at his clan's well… lack of existence… but did not show it. Instead, he simply said nothing as both Ino and Sakura attempted to unleash their fury on the both, just to have their punches easily blocked and countered. Falling backwards, they would've struck the ground had a young man not caught them.

"You rookies shouldn't make such a scene. There are plenty of ninja here that would be willing to take you head off, and making more enemies from the start isn't advisable."

"Who are you?" Shino asked in his normal bored tone.

"Kabuto Yakushi. I'm a genin of Konoha like you, 7th time taking the exam." The silver haired boy responded. He was wearing purple and gray, had silver hair, glasses, and was much taller than them, likely at least 16.

"7th time? So then… can you tell us anything about the exam?"

"Yes, probably. What do you want to know? I don't know the specifics of this year's exam, but I know a lot about the participants."

Sasuke was the first to respond to this. "Tell me about Rock Lee of Konoha, Gaara of Suna, and Sarutobi Naruto of Konoha."

It was not so much a question as it was an order, but Kabuto complied. Pulling out a stack of cards, he showed the now crowding group of Konoha rookies the first card.

"Rock Lee. He is 14, his team mates are Hyuuga Neji and Tenten, he has done 27 D ranks, 14 C-ranked, and 2 B ranked missions. His taijutsu is excellent, but his ninjutsu and genjutsu skills are non-existent. His sensei is Maito Gai."

"No surprise there" Sasuke muttered, though slightly surprised by the presence of two B-ranked missions.

Holding up the second card, Kabuto continued. "Sabaku no Gaara. No information known, all having been restricted."

Sasuke was not impressed by this revelation, but threw Gaara a glance before turning back for the last card.

"Sarutobi Uzumaki Naruto. Chuunin, appointed by special order of the Hokage himself. He is at least Jounin level, with a high level of skill in all levels, but most particularly in Fuujinjutsu. Makes sense though… There are rumors of how he trains… it's insane. Heh, in a few years this kid could be Hokage."

Chuckling at the thought, he suddenly found himself under the very intense glare of the raven-haired genin standing before him. However, before he could contemplate this, he raised his hand to block a punch from a rather annoyed Sound-nin. Feeling the result of a sound wave, he turned and threw up, just as a scarred man poofed into the room, with a large amount of chuunin around him. The man spoke quickly and loudly to the room.

"Listen up fuckers. There will be no fighting in this exam unless I or one of the other instructors specifically allows it, or else I'll neuter you and throw you out."

The killing intent radiating off the man had much of the room paralyzed with fear, however it soon faded. The man continued: "Now, this is the start of the first exam. Each team, follow the instructor that comes to you."

As he said this, each of the chuunins that had come with the scary, scarred man went to collect a team each. The 37 chuunins and their respectively assigned teams all were led to different rooms in the academy. The man leading team 8 had on a sadistic grin, but none of them decided to comment on it. He had brown hair, stood about 5'6", and carried a katana. He also wore some sort of heavy armor, but despite its weight moved with grace. Leading team 8 into a room, he ordered them to sit down in the middle of the room, and turned off the lights. Moments later, bright lights shined into the room, and the 3 genin were bound to the floor by a seal they had only seen once before. It was one made by Naruto, a seal which bound the target to the ground by their own chakra. There was now way to break it without it being forcefully released by an outside chakra source, the only source strong enough being the one in front of them, in the form of a very, very scary looking man. A different man now stood before them, wearing no headband, and a different sort of armor. It was black as night, with strange red carvings on the sides running down to the greaves. Pulling out a dagger he lowered it so that it was just beneath Kiba's throat. A malicious smile on the man's face appeared, as he licked his lips and asked:

"What's your deepest, darkest secret?"

(Elsewhere)

At the Hokage Tower, Naruto, a tired Aliera, Kakashi, Asuma, and a few other Jounin senseis, as well as the Hokage, watched the first exam through the Hokage's 'magical glass ball thing'. Seeing the seals Naruto had designed, they looked at him curiously, to which Naruto responded:

"It binds a target down by their own chakra at all points…. Perfect for interrogation, well, for that's what Ibiki wants it for anyway."

"How long do you think they'll last?" asked Kakashi, looking slightly interested at the display.

"They will not break my Lee's flames of youth! I bet 500 ryou on my team passing." Gai shouted.

Aliera looked to Naruto, then laid her money on the table "1000 ryou on my team passing" Aliera said softly. They briefly glanced at her, then Naruto.

"500 ryou on my team passing." Kakashi stated, impassively.

Asuma looked at them, then said "2000 ryou on team 8 passing."

The rest of them stared at him, particularly Naruto. _No one would be that much without having seen something._

Asuma saw the stares and explained "I saw them training once these past two weeks. I mean sure, my group is great, but they went above and beyond."

The Hokage merely sighed at his son's betting habits, then turned back. "It's starting."

All of them turned their attention back to the orb, and watched the teams.

"Oof, that's gotta hurt"

(At the exam)

Hinata was being beaten by the man, right before Shino and Kiba's eyes while they could do nothing. Hinata couldn't even lean back to absorb some of the blow as the seal was holding her in place. The man, seeing the fear and hate in the boys' eyes decided to ask again.

"What is your deepest, darkest secret?" He growled out in a gruff voice.

Hinata looked up toward them, and spoke with her eyes, relaying to them essentially _'Tell him nothing, we must hold strong under torture'_

Kiba and Shino both conceded that they must keep their secrets as well, and remained steady and silent, fear no longer obvious. The man, growing rather irritated, pulled out his dagger again. Point it at Kiba, he moved forward, and began to cover the boy with mild lacerations, just enough to hurt, but not lethal.

"You WILL tell me or you WILL die!" The man said in a deadly low tone. The torure continued for several minutes before the man decided to try his last resort.

"Ninpou: Kanashibari no Jutsu". Staring into his eyes, all three of them saw themselves dying in various gruesome ways. Though the horror was enough to break even some seasoned jounin, the three genin showed they did not fear their death. The man, seeing his tactic failing, decided to end the interrogation.

Leaving the room, the original chuunin entered and broke the seal. Leaning down and helping them up, he silently led them back to the first room, to see only 18 other teams. Turning to Ibiki, the man bowed.

Ibiki, the scarred man, nodded and stated "They are the last ones".

Kiba, Shino, and Hinata all looked surprised at that, 17 other teams must've broken under the pressure. Sitting fown with other teams, they looked around to find their classmates. Neji's team and Sasuke's team were still around, however Shikamaru, Ino, and Chouji were not. The sand siblings, sound ninja, rain ninja, and various others had sat down around the room, their looks ranging from impassive to downright terrified.

Ibiki turned to them all, and saw a hand raise. Temari had hers up, and upon being acknowledged, stated her question. "What in the hell did that have to do with being a chuunin?"

Ibiki, frowning at her very poor attempt to swear and her lack of understanding, simply stood up straight, and responded.

"Chuunin are leaders. Sometimes you will be sent on missions with the possibility of being captured. To betray your village when under pressure is something no ninja should do. Subjecting you to one of the worst forms of interrogation, including the Kanashibari which I'm certain you all experienced, was done to weed out the weakling ninja who don't deserve to be ninja, let alone be a team. All of you left have passed. Now-"

He was cut off by a black ball bursting through the window…. Correction: black ball shaped woman… after a few seconds….correction: woman who just hung a banner with kunai.

Most of the room simply stared at her awkwardly, then looked at the banner which read Mitarashi Anko, second instructor and hot kunoichi. Underneath that was her supposed phone number. Most of the people in the room sweat-dropped, some even getting nosebleeds at her fishnet/trench-coat outerwear and tiny miniskirt.

The incredibly scandalously dressed woman addressed the room in a surprisingly playful tone for someone who was supposed to be an authoritative figure. "All right kiddies. On to the second exam! Follow me!"

The damaged genin followed her back out the window and off to the location of the second exam…. A gigantic enclosed area that had danger signs all over it. All the jounin and a chuunin were standing before the gates, watching over their teams.

"Welcome to training area 44, the forest of death" Anko said, with a malicious grin. Naruto nearly chuckled, having snuck into the forest on a few occasions for practice. However, the chuckle did not go unnoticed, and soon a kunai was flying for his cheek, meant to just barely graze it. Not wanting to show off too much skill, Naruto ducked lightly out of the way as opposed to catching the kunai. Suddenly, Anko was behind him, making a stab for him. Deciding his life was more important than not showing off, he reacted. Moving forward quickly, he grabbed her wrist, twisted the kunai out of her hand, pushed it into the tree behind himself, and backed off, away from the crazy woman. Anko, surprised and disappointed that she wouldn't be getting his blood so easily, decided to try again later. Walking sexily past him, she swayed her hips slightly, and whispered as she passed him "I'll get you later, blondie."

Getting up to the front once again, Anko addressed the crowd of Genin. Throwing on her crazy smirk, she began her speech. "This is the second exam. Each team will be given identical scrolls, don't read them. For this exam, you must collect three or more scrolls and make it to the center of the forest within 5 days. You are allowed to kill, though it is not advised as you may damage the scroll. Now, all of you must sign these waiver scrolls, then you will be led to your gate by your sensei. Oh, and by the way, this forest is littered with danger, so try not to waste your scroll by dying to critters."

The process was slow, but an hour later, all the teams were at their respective gates. Hearing the whistle, the gates opened and allowed entrance.

Team 8, unsure of how to go about getting other people's scrolls, moved quickly, far into the forest. After making it about a mile in, they heard a clicking noise. Diving out of the way, they moved just in time to see a pedestal rise out of the ground, with writing on it. Hinata, nodding to Kiba and Shino, activated her Byakugan and began to read what appeared to be an odd poem.

_Upon the seas, upon the stars_

_The beauty begins in a ball of fire_

_Contained within iron bars_

_The flame of life stands on wire_

_The flame burns long_

_For heroes old_

_The Hokages' song_

_Is mostly told_

_To hear the epic heroes' tunes_

_To heal their long forgotten wounds_

_Though you won't see many moons_

_Because you just read explosive runes_

Upon finishing the last line, she realized she'd been speaking the words aloud, and the looks of alarm on their faces could be rivaled by none.

**BOOM!**

The entire area around the pedestal exploded, enveloping Shino, Kiba, and Hinata in a massive fireball… just as foretold. The explosion cleared the area, reducing the ground to mere sand, while they shielded themselves with their bodies to get only 3rd degree burns on their arms, legs, and chests. Leaning against a tree back a half mile from the explosion, about where they landed, they camped beneath a tree. Hinata, using her mild medical knowledge, used her chakra to heal all of them down to 1st and 2nd degree burns, but the effect of the explosion still took a toll on them. Setting up a few traps, they rested under the tree, all falling asleep, no one in good enough condition to take watch.

(With team 7)

Team 7 made their way quickly into the forest. They encountered no traps, no did they find any critters or teams. After a few hours of travel, the tower only a few more hours away, they began to get suspicious. _If only I had my sharingan_ Sasuke thought desperately. Arriving in a clearing, they stopped and decided to camp there for the night. Setting up several traps, hoping to catch a team, Sasuke took 1st watch, leaving Sai and Sakura to rest. An hour later, Sasuke heard a trap go off, and was about to wake up his team, when a kunai flew at him. Catching it, he looked to where the attack could have come from, and saw only a grass nin.

"Only one? You think you're enough to match an Uchiha?" Sasuke said arrogantly

"An Uchiha without a sharingan? Yeah, I think I'll manage." The grass nin responded.

Sasuke, angray at the comment, knew he should have had his sharingan already, but he hadn't had a challenge great enough for him to need to develop it. Deciding the nin should die for insulting the Uchiha in such a way, Sasuke charged. Moving in close, he was about to strike when the Grass shinobi disappeared. Feeling a tap on his shoulder, he turned around to see…no one.

_He's so damn fast. If only I could follow his movements!_ This little dance continued for several minutes, as the grass nin began to shove kunai into Sasuke. It only stopped when the raven-haired boy was covered with about 20 kunai, all sticking into various places only centimeters from vital spots. _If he wanted to kill me, he could've done so already_.

"Ku ku ku, Sasuke… I thought a 'great' Uchiha would be more of a challenge."

"Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu". A fireball appeared, roaring toward the grass nin, only to be blocked by a shield of chakra. Part of the attack pierced through, near the head where the shield was weaker, and showed the grass nin's face melting. Removing his face, Sasuke saw the man now had the face of an older man, with purple long triangles under his eyes.

"I see the great uchiha has some life left after all, I should fix that. Ninpou: Mind Tentacles no Jutsu"

Sasuke, too tired from his last attack to act quickly, was caught by large black tentacles emanating from the disturbing grass nin's head. Soon Sasuke felt himself pass out, all turning to black. He was now in a hallway, only one door in front of him, a wooden door painted black, with blood spattered on it randomly, as if from several directions. Seeing no other choice, he opened the door to see…Itachi.

"ITACHI! I'LL KILL YOU!" Charging, he lunged at the image, only to pass straight through. He watched the sword come down, and saw it destroy the head of an Uchiha… his father. Looking past, he saw Itachi aim for his mother. "Don't! No!" But his screams were to no avail, as the sword plunged through her as well. Soon he saw a shivering boy in the room, himself but much younger. "Sasuke" Itachi said. "I want you to live, to hate me. The true path to power, is through hate." He said more, but that was all Sasuke could hear. Waking up, he felt a stinging sensation on his neck, then saw the grass nin retract from him, closing his mouth and concealing his fangs.

Sasuke, surprised, tried to get up and attack the man, but found the stinging sensation on his neck to be too much to deal with. He blacked out again. The grass nin left, and Sasuke was soon dragged inside by a very confused and very afraid Sakura. It was going to be a long night.

(With team 8)

Hinata, Kiba, and Shino all woke up, and Hinata used about half of her remaining chakra to remove the burns almost completely. She only knew one medical jutsu, which she'd learned from Naruto, but because of her large reserves, due to the gravity seal training, she was able to repeat the jutsu over and over again until the wounds were gone. Taking a soldier pill, she felt better, and they continued on their way. When they reached the area where the pedestal was, they stopped, only to see another group of ninja, some sound nins, collapsed near it. Seems they didn't read it from afar. Moving up to them, Hinata found no pulse on any of them, and determined they must be dead. Kiba, searching their bodies, took some kunai and shuriken…some ryou (which Hinata scolded him for taking) and their scroll, then left their bodies for dead. They didn't have the time to be burying people.

Moving on, Shino said he had contact with a member of his family of bugs that had been placed on another team. Moving silently, they came upon a campsite of rain nins, all with umbrellas on their backs. Two of them were sleeping, and another was taking watch. Formulating a plan, they confirmed with each other, then attacked.

Shino let his bugs slip along the ground, approaching the awake enemy nin from all around, stealthily. The bugs, upon reaching their target, all suddenly flew back to Shino, who yelled to the others "They're clones!"

As if on cue, the three rain nins disappeared, and a storm of needles descended upon team 8. Dodging out of the way, they landed in the center of the clearing, intending to draw the nins out to battle. Kiba, feeling the need to make sure they took the bait, called out "What, hiding in the trees like pussies, you're way too weak to ever beat a Konoha ninja."

The three rain nins appeared on the branches before them. The one in the middle spoke in an equally arrogant tone "Heh, trash like you shouldn't be talking. You stand no chance against us, so we'll cut you a deal. Give us a scrolls, and we'll let you leave alive."

The killing intent dripped off the man's voice, enough to make team 8 a little nervous, but they did not show it. They'd been exposed to worse… Aliera was an angry woman sometimes. Kiba, taking it as a threat, shouted "Yeah right! I doubt you can even scratch me! Doton: Earth Wolf no jutsu". A wolf made entirely of dirt and minerals rose out of the ground before Kiba, and charged the rain nin at speeds pretty hard to follow as just genin. However, the rain nins were not just any genin.

"Ninpou: Thousand Needles no Jutsu" Throwing his umbrella into the air, it rained needles down upon the wolf, destroying it instantly. Nodding to his comrades, the ninja decided to end the battle quickly.

"Watch closely, it'll be the last things you ever see."

All three of the rain nins shouted "Ninpou: Blackened Sky no Jutsu"

The sky literally became dark, each needles blocking about the light as a gigantic wave of them flew towards team 8. Hinata pulled them both towards her, then shouted out a move she'd only ever experimented with for her clan and with Naruto. "Hakkeshou Kaiten!" The orb of chakra flew around the three of them, and kept up for a good three seconds, until the attack stopped. Spinning slowly to a stop, Hinata was tired. Stretching that around two other people was a massive drain on her chakra. Smiling, she though to herself _Bet Neji couldn't do that_.

The rain ninjas were looking on with disbelief, before finally regaining themselves. The two on the sides nodded, and they did the only thing they could do… they ran away very, very quickly. Team 8 was about to follow, when some cloud shinobi appeared. The kumo nins landed in the clearing, all of them focusing on Hinata.

"What do you think we'd get if we could bring a dead Hyuuga back?"

"I'd say… a few million ryou. Let's do this, shall we?"

"I hope you're more of a challenge than the last team" One of them taunted.

Kiba was growing eager. His only attempt to do something was already quashed, and he'd been protected by either Shino's warnings or Hinata's shield. Sure, his team was strong, but he had something to prove: he would be the strongest the Inuzuka has ever seen, and for that he was going to beat these ninjas, to hell with consequences. "Ninpou: Beast clone no Jutsu!" followed by "Ninpou: Shikakyu no Jutsu!" And again followed by "Doton: Rippling Earth no jutsu". Kiba and his 'clone' Akamaru began to run in a giant circle around the Kumo nins, shooting dirt up into the air with the force of his steps, channeling chakra to his feet to imbue the dirt with chakra. Meanwhile, Shino trapped two of the nins with his bugs, while Hinata charged the confused Kumo nin in the middle, disabling his legs and retreating, with a kunai in her shoulder. Seeing Kiba slowing down, Shino had his bugs retreat as well, leaving two chakra-drained nins.

Kiba and Akamaru, stopping on opposite sides of the circle, each taking a soldier pill, and began forming handseals, while the earth remained airborn….all two tons of it. "Doton: Engulfing Beast no Jutsu!"

The two tons of earth formed itself into the skull of a giant dog with very, very sharp teeth, then dropped on the kumo nins, skewering them and burying them with two tons of dirt, however not before a flash of grey went in and retrieved their packs, returning to rest beside Hinata. The impact of the dirt on the earth literally created a small earthquake and the force caused their ears to pop.

Shino opened their packs and found two scrolls, now giving them a total of three. Kiba was a little disconcerted, having just killed again, but Hinata embraced him, telling him "it's part of the job, you did well." Soon, he was back to his normal self, and after copping a feel he felt himself hitting the ground very, very hard. Shino was about to chuckle, when Hinata shot him a glare. _And people ask why I'm gay? All girls are scary._

Soon, the three of them set up camp elsewhere, only three miles from the tower and having all their scrolls. They only hoped for an undisturbed night.

(With Team 9)

Team 9 was having a rough time in the forest. They had encountered several 'critters' as Anko had called them, though they were all gigantic. A few of them were over 10 feet tall, but most were about the size of them. After disemboweling some giant spiders, a scroll and some ninja equipment dropped out. Apparently they weren't the only ones having problems with these things. They were already only a mile from the tower, and had encountered no other ninja. Coming up with an idea, Tenten led them back along their swath of destruction, disemboweling some previous beasts and critters, and some new ones they met along the way, and soon they found their third scroll. Discovering they had all they needed, they pumped chakra to their feet and made it all the way to the tower, arriving at dawn on the third day.

Teams 7 and 8 soon joined them. The sand siblings arrived on the 4th day, and the grass nins with only two members and some rock nins joined the rest of them on the fifth. They had all been brought to separate rooms to rest until the third exam, so at the end of the fifth day, at night, all the teams were gathered together in an arena. Standing before them were their jounin senseis, the examiner, a man with a bad cough and a sword on his back, and the Hokage. Next to Aliera was Naruto, holding her steady. She looked nearly back to normal, but still weak, her sword was leaning against the wall.

The man with the bad cough stood up and addressed the crowd. "As there are 17 of you left, we will have to perform a preliminary. First, though, would anyone like to drop out?"

The crowd of genin looked angry that their would be preliminaries, but few raised their hands. The grass nins quit, and Sakura was left raising her hand. She spoke to the man "My team mate was given an odd seal during the exam that may impede him, I ask that he be removed". Nervously, she pointed to Sasuke who was shooting her a glare, but she remembered once Sai telling her '_If he is going to die… we should stop him._ Sai only nodded, but Naruto was interested. Looking to the Hokage and the man who was now looking at him, Naruto asked "If I may?".

Receiving confirmation, Naruto walked forward, up to Sasuke. "Where is it?". Sasuke only grunted, but Sakura motioned to his shoulder. "Come."

Reluctantly, Sasuke followed Naruto to just outside the room, while the preliminaries began, starting with A rock genin against Gaara.

(With Naruto)

"Hold still."

"Dobe, I don't need your help, it doesn't hurt or anything, nothing at all."

Naruto did not believe him. Forcefully removing the boy's shirt, Naruto snickered slightly at Sasuke's pale flat body with no hint of actual muscle, though there had to be some. Looking at the mark, Naruto activated his 1st level doujutsu, then accessed some merged chakra and pumped it to reach the second level. The seal on Sasuke appeared to be a chakra infection seal. It converted Sasuke's chakra into influenced chakra by way of a bit of Orochimaru's soul. The conversion process suggests it has influence, and that Orochimaru could either communicate with or kill Sasuke through it if nearby. The seal also appeared to mess with the raven-haired boy's control as it caused his chakra to move in surges, rather than a normal flow.

"I can't remove it, so I'm going to seal it. This will hurt, but you'll be fine. I'm going to bind you so that you won't move."

Without asking for permission, Naruto projected the binding seal onto the ground around Sasuke, forcing him into a cross legged position. Then, projecting an anti-seal onto it, Naruto lit his pointer, middle, and ring fingers with chakra of light, dark, and what is supposedly the source of metal jutsus, and drove hios hand forward. "Fuin: Dark Chakra Seal no Jutsu!"

Black tendrils of energy shot from Sasuke, soon replaced by white, then changing between black and white every few seconds. Sasuke's skin changed and it soon became a reddish brown, giving him wings. The wings receded and grew constantly, as if taking on the strobe effect of the tendrils, and eventually Sasuke was returned to his original form, black energy floating above his head. Naruto, putting light chakra conversion seals on his hands, pumped chakra through them, and surrounded the black energy, soon destroying it. Outside, Orochimaru could be heard cursing loudly.

Bringing Sasuke to the medical ward, he found that the whole process had taken about an hour, much longer than he'd thought, and returned to the arena leaving Sasuke under the watch of two jounin.

Naruto found that he'd missed Shino, Temari, Tenten, Kiba, Gaara, and Lee's fights, in fact only returning long enough to see the last round. Sasuke, due to his performance, would be in the final round automatically, since it had been confirmed he'd fought against Orochimaru for several minutes, several people putting aside the fact that man had merely been toying with him.

The last fight was just about to begin… Hinata vs. Neji. Before they began, Neji began his speech. "I am destined to beat you, it is fate for me to do so. I was born with more skill by a father who should have been a member of the main branch. Instead, you brand us and use us like your slaves. We are just as human as you, we are members of the great Hyuuga clan, we are the body, and just as the body may die without the head, the head will die without the body. If the main branch dies, We will create a new head, a new clan balanced for all, and for that to happen you must die. It is for that reason I am destined to beat you, I will lead the branch house, and we will defeat you. Prepare yourself, you defeat is destined by Fate!"

Charging at Hinata, Neji began to use his Jyuuken style, but both his hands were caught at his wrists by Hinata, who kicked him back and shouted to the heavens. "ANYONE CAN CHANGE THEIR FATE!"

Naruto… remembering when he'd told her that, realized just what he'd done. He'd heard much of the clan from Hinata, and had gone to great lengths to show her how he had wanted the clan systems to work when he became Hokage. Naruto had never thought how much it had meant to her.

At the same time, Hinata was thinking back to what Naruto had told her that one time, how what he'd said had changed her view entirely, and how she wanted to change the clan as well.

(Flashback no Jutsu)

"The day the Kyuubi attacked. Hinata, I am the vessel of the Kyuubi, the nine-tailed demon fox. I don't want to hold any secrets from you, but I feel you should know this. This is why I strive to be Hokage. I grew up without parents… I can only imagine what my life would've been like f the Hokage hadn't kept the Kyuubi a secret, if he hadn't taken me in. I don't want to see people alone, because oh so many nights I wish I'd met my parents… I wished, but it was not so. I was all alone, even with a family, I was alone, and I don't want to see anyone like that. I was destined by fate to be hated, but one man changed that for me… and I couldn't be more grateful… You can always change your fate, and you can change the fate of others, and because of what that one man did… I'm here with you now… You'll stay with me, won't you?"

(End Flashback)

"You can always change your fate, and you can change the fate of others. I will change your fate." Hinata said softly, but loud enough for Neji to hear. Neji was struck, knowing he'd heard that from Naruto once, and before he could respond, Hinata charged.

Whirling her body around in one of the first dances of her style, a combination of Naruto's 'Dance of the Nine-Tailed Fox" and the Jyuuken, Hinata spun at massive speeds, and struck 8 of Neji's tenketsu, re-appearing behind the boy.

Most of the audience just blinked, except for Kiba and Shino who had been on the receiving end of that attack multiple times. Njei was confused, then noticed his control was off, likely because of the blocked tenketsu. Launching himself at her, he once again saw only a blur of movement before he felt 8 more tenketsu points close.

"You are in range of my divination." Hinata said. "Hakke Rokujuuyonshou!"

Neji, caught by surprise, was not match for Hinata in terms of speed, but had a different plan. "Hakkeshou Kaiten!" Neji spun, deflecting Hinata away creating a familiar orb of chakra.

Hinata, thrown against the wall, had some damage done to some of her internal organs, but using a mdeical justu while the dust cleared, she got up looking reasonably okay. Looking to Neji, she charged once again, and Neji used his still superior chakra supply to bring chakra to his arms, boosting his speed to match Hinata's. Locked in combat for a good minute, neither scored more than a glancing blow. Hinata looked up towards Naruto and winked, then began to form handseals.

Naruto knew what this meant, and that she'd have to settle for a draw, because neither of them would be conscious after her next attack.

"Ninpou: Hakkeshou Kamikaze Kaiten!" Hinata charged forward, spinning rapidly and forming a Kaiten to be used offensively, rather than contained and protecting those within, it lashed out at those within and around. With a boost of Chakra, Hinata charged Neji, becoming a whirlwind similar to Kiba's Tsuuga, and crashed into Neji. Both of them were blown back from the explosion, Neji having used Kaiten again to lessen the impact. Each crashing to a wall, the proctor, Hayate, checked them both and declared the match a draw, seeing as both were unconscious.

On this note, the Hokage ended the preliminaries, and went on to explain the importance of the Chuunin exams, seeing as how they were just a means to replace war, and that the third exam would take place in a month. The proctor showed them the pairings before leaving the room so as to dodge questions.

Match 1: Temari vs Tenten

Match 2: Shino vs Sabaki (rock nin)

Match 3: Sasuke vs Gaara

Match 4: Tasugama vs Winner of Match 3

Kiba, Lee, Sakura, Neji, and Hinata, as well as two of the rock nins and a sound sibling would not be participating.

Aliera, motioning to her team, excluding Hinata, and to Naruto brought them all up to her as she spoke. "Tomorrow I will be working with all of you as normal. However, Shino. You will be working with Naruto, when he is around. He will have missions of course, but when he's around he'll be working with you, as I think some 1 on 1 training will be most beneficial. Now, I'll see you tomorrow, training ground 9, at 8:00. Go home and get some rest.

Complying, all of them went home except for Naruto who stayed by Hinata's bedside in the hospital that night. All he could think of was how proud he was of her, and how lucky he was to have her. Kissing her forehead goodnight, he stretched out on the other bed in the room and fell asleep. The next month was gonna be harsh.

End Chapter.

Sorry guys, I got a sorta writer's block and it took a few days to get this down. I hope you enjoy it, I had to write a lot of things over. Anyway, hope you like it. Review plz!


	16. Chapter 16

Seals of Fate

Hey guys, thanks for the reviews. For those of you who believe my facts are off, some of them may be, but I'm not an expert, so let the little ones go. If you see any events blatantly 'wrong', keep in mind it's probably that way for a reason. Otherwise, hope you enjoy the following chapter. I broke my writers block! Yay!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its contents. If I did, the sharingan would be way less overpowered.

Chapter 16: Creations

Naruto woke up only to see Hinata still unresponsive. Looking to the nurse in the room, she explained the situation, basically stating she wouldn't be conscious for another weak or so while her body recovers. Her chakra coils were strained to the max and needed time to repair. Knowing he could do nothing to help, and that he was needed elsewhere, Naruto performed a shunshin and arrived at the Sarutobi estate once again.

Taking a quick shower, he mulled over what he was going to do that day and decided he wanted to see Temari again, and Gaara to check his seal, just in case. Getting dressed in a black T-shirt, his chuunin vest, and standard black ninja pants, he loaded himself with his equipment and was about to shunshin to his next destination, when he realized how much of a waste that was, since he was never really outside for long. Taking a few hours, Naruto looked through some books on air containment seals, eventually finding exactly what he was looking for. Taking out a brush, Naruto drew what he guessed the seal should look like, including an air containment pattern, chakra conversion pattern, and interlacing it with an explosive pattern to give thrust. Activating his level two Fuingan, he analyzed the seal, and found he had to make a few changes, but within half an hour, he had it down. Mentally labeling it as 'Flying Seal', Naruto decided to complete his little idea.

Taking his ironing board, which he'd never used since Ojji-san had given it to him, Naruto broke off the legs, giving himself a flat board. Focusing on the bottom, Naruto projected six 'Flying' seals onto the bottom, and laced them to one of his favorite seals, which he named 'Unity'. This seal basically allowed for the activation of several seals at once for a fraction of the chakra required because it amplifies chakra, similar to how Naruto's exploding tags were amplified to be more powerful. The unity seal, place on top of the board, glowed with Naruto's chakra and lifted slightly into the air with just a tiny bit of it. Grinning madly, Naruto took his new invention outside, leapt on it, and pumped about 5 of his merged chakra into the board, and was soon flying over Konoha at nearly 50 miles an hour. Sticking to the board with a bit more chakra, he began spinning, performing barrel-rolls, and generally having a good time. Flying as high as he could, Naruto dropped a kunai, then sped down on the board at 100 miles an hour and caught it, before stopping and hovering just above the market square. The ninjas around all had one simultaneous thought: _I gotta get one of those._

Riding on his new creation, Naruto made his way to the hotel Gaara, Temari, and their third sibling, Kankurou, were staying. The pleasant woman at the front looked quizzically at the ironing board, but after Naruto assured her it would be no problem, she directed him to room 301, the suite on the third floor where the Sand Siblings were staying.

Moving gracefully up the stairs, Naruto soon found himself in front of a large door, one that would likely lead into a proportionally larger room, considering all the other doors were smaller. Suddenly feeling a bit nervous and disconcerted, Naruto took a mirror out of his pouch and tried to adjust his hair so that he looked a little more presentable, but he knew this was just stalling, since his hair had proven time and again that it was completely unmanageable.

Knocking on the door, he was met by the sound of a violently angry woman shouting "Hold on a minute!", followed by the sound of heavy objects hitting the ground. Moments later, Temari appeared at the doorway, sweating but grinning beautifully, and wearing no pants, just one really big shirt. Seeing him standing there, she hugged him as a means of saying hello.

Naruto looked to the wall on instinct, since he couldn't look a half-naked woman in the eye. _Is every girl I meet gonna tackle me half-naked?_ Naruto sighed.

"What?" Temari asked when Naruto did not hug her back. Gesturing with his head down, Temari 'eeped' and walked back in, closing the door. After a few more minutes of waiting there, wondering what exactly just happened, Naruto knocked on the door again. This time, a boy with kabuki paint and a large puppet under his arm answered the door. Looking surprised, he asked:

"You're still here? She just hugged you half naked… why aren't you dead?"

"What do you mean 'Why aren't I dead'? She seems perfectly nice. Plus, I'm gonna be her husband someday, why would she want to injure me, if anyone, at all?"

"Ah… she must act differently on dates, probably why she never took you back home afterwards, didn't want you to know how violent she can be."

"…"

"Plus, if she wanted to fuck you, she'd probably go to your place anyway, what with that nice estate and all."

"…"

"Yeah. So anyway, come on in, I'm Kankurou, in case you forgot, and I know you've met Gaara."

Turning around, Kankurou found himself face to face with his sister, with her fan, looking very, very angry.

"The reason he hasn't seen my 'angry side' as you put it, is because he shows me a good time and I have nothing to get angry about. However, now I get to show him what should happen if he tries something funny."

The next few minutes were resound with cries of help and the sound of a giant metal fan impacting flesh and the wood of puppets. Naruto just grew slightly terrified of Temari, but the feeling passed when she turned a smile his way, and invited him to sit down. Doing so, Naruto was surprised further when Temari laid down on the couch he'd just sat on, and laid her head in his lap.

"Yes, Temari-chan, I'm here to see you. I didn't get to see your match… do you think you could tell me about it?"

"Yeah sure. It was easy, I was against this really weak guy-"

"Hey!" Kankurou shouted, interrupting her. "I'm not weak!"

Temari pointed at him, and said in her most mocking tone. "You just got beat up by a fan, no ninjutsu, genjutsu, or taijutsu involved... you're weak."

"That doesn't count. The only reason you won is because I didn't want to poison you."

"Not the fact that couldn't get close to me? Or that I deflected most of your attacks?"

"One shot of poison could've killed you, 'most' attacks isn't good enough against me and you know it."

Seeing it time to interject, before another fight broke out, Naruto said loudly "Let's change the subject". To Temari he said "Do you want to go out tonight? Nice dinner, without the other two? I suppose I owe it to each of you to go out on at least one individual date, you know, to really get to know you."

Temari had already agreed, happily nodding her head, and asked "formal or casual?"

"Whatever you want."

_Perfect_ she thought evilly. "Formal, nicest place in Konoha."

Naruto gulped at the malicious smile on her face, but figured he'd be seeing a lot of those. Lifting himself up off the couch, he asked "Where's Gaara?"

"In his room, past the kitchen, second door on the left." Kankurou supplied.

Walking through the kitchen, Naruto soon reached the second door, still marveling at the size of the suite and how it managed to fit in the hotel, and knocked. The door was quickly opened by sand, and Naruto entered. The room was basically bare, no bed, nothing. Just Gaara in the center of the room, meditating from the looks of it.

"Gaara… I'm just here to check your seal, should I come back later?"

"No." Was the only response. Moving closer, Naruto sat in front of Gaara, and lifted the boy's shirt, the red-haired boy not even flinching. Just like his own, Gaara's seal was different. Activating his level two Fuingan with a bit of merged chakra, Naruto found that it worked nearly the same way as his own seal. It had a similar pattern, a four image seal surrounding the ying yang symbol, except with raccoon heads and one tail interlaced into the seal. On the outermost portion of the seal was an extra ring, which apparently worked so that when Gaara released the full tail, he would transform. Explaining this to the red-haired boy, Gaara stopped meditating, only listening. When Naruto finished, Gaara simply nodded, then went back to his meditation.

Saying goodbye to the sand siblings, Naruto got one last hug from Temari, who kissed his cheek, and went up to the large window in the living room on the other side of kitchen across from the hallway. Opening the window, Naruto took his ironing board, and put a little chakra in it, making it float. Jumping on it, Naruto pushed it up to 5 merged chakra, and flew off, leaving two awed siblings. Temari simply thought _I gotta get him to make me one of those_.

Flying off to his next destination, Tenten's house, Naruto prepped himself for a lot of heat for missing her match, since she'd wanted to show him her ability with the sword. Dropping down in front of her house, Naruto came to a rough landing, but managed to stay on his feet. Knocking on the door, he heard the sound of soft steps, not too fast, coming. Deciding to prep himself for the worst, Naruto leaned his ironing board / flying shield against the side of the building and put one hand limp down next to his side, his other hand scratching his chest, just inches away from any place that may need immediate protection.

The door soon opened, to reveal a rather sweaty Tenten, who looked as if she'd been training, Hoping he didn't interrupt her burning off steam, he decided to just take it easy.

"Hey Ten-chan." Naruto said cheerfully, waving his hand.

"Ah, Naruto-kun… wasn't expecting you, especially after you skipped watching my match."

"Eh heh… uh… sorry?" Naruto responded, sheepishly rubbing his head.

"It's okay, I know you were just trying to help Sasuke. Still, can I show you my sword?"

"Uh, yeah, that sounds great."

"Oh, and for the record, I know about your date with Temari tonight, she told me not to try anything funny, seeing as she seemed to know you were coming here somehow."

"Odd… I didn't tell her"

"Probably saw where you were headed on that…. What is that flying thing anyway, and why are you carrying around an ironing board?"

Naruto picked up the aforementioned item and took her by the hand outside. Once outside, Naruto stood on the board and activated it with chakra. Floating just above the awed Tenten's head, he kneeled down, and while still pumping chakra into the board, began explaining his seals.

Adopting his school-teacher persona once again, he began. "It's quite a simple concept actually. Objects move in three dimensions, up and down, left and right, forward and backward. That is what these seals supply. The ones at the front and back are just that, forwards and backwards. The ones in the middle are up and down, and the ones on the sides are left and right. Of course, it helps if I lean to one side, but mainly, it's the seals. As for what they do, they each absorb my chakra, convert it to the wind element, and then supply thrust, equal to my force of gravity or greater, in the given direction so as to move me. The seal on top…" Naruto dropped to the ground again to show her "Is interlaced with the six, so that I can pump my chakra into it and it will give the appropriate proportions to the needed areas. By concentrating on the ratio of my chakra to the seal, and in which of the quadrants I am pumping it more, I can control its direction, and thus my own. It's the same concept as Temari's wind attacks, forced wind production, except in this case in a concentrated space so that it creates a constant flow without releasing the energy. Get it?"

Of course, most of what Naruto had just said went over her head, she got the gist of it, and nodded dumbly. Remembering how fast he'd been going when he got up to her house (she'd seen through the window) she asked what would probably be on most people's minds rather soon.

"How fast can you go?"

"I dunno, I used a constant flow of about 5 to get up to 100 miles per hour or so. With my chakra store, that's probably most of yours though. It's not really the most practical of inventions, I'm willing to bet anyone with lower than a jounin's stores could actually use it effectively without the drain."

She looked disappointed, but soon got a devilish look. "Think you could fly us into town?"

Naruto had been expecting this as soon as he'd landed again. "Yeah. Just grab onto me and hold on tight, I don't think you can attach yourself with chakra, the amount of mine running through the board would disrupt either your flow or mine."

Eagerly, she grabbed onto Naruto, who then began to lift off. At about 50 feet up, he applied about 2 and shot off at approximately 20 miles per hour. Upon turning around and seeing her disappointed look, Naruto upped it to 5, and her shriek of surprise at the sudden wind increase, whipping around her, along with the fact she was now gripping Naruto much, MUCH tighter, was worth the temporary deafness.

Reaching the market, they touched down and Naruto pried Tenten off himself before they made any more of a scene. Looking around, he'd noticed she'd directed him to the clothing district. Groaning, Naruto was about to launch off again, when Tenten suddenly whirled him around to see her.

"And where do you think you're going?"

"Not shopping." Trying to leave again, he found himself unable to remove his eyes from her now fearsome, yet beautiful brown eyes.

"Oh no you don't. I'm taking you to get more clothing than just tank tops. Temari said she wanted you looking nice tonight, and I intend to do just that, so yes, we're clothes shopping, as your punishment for skipping my match." Then, leaning over, she whispered in his ear: "And if you're a good boy, we may stop by the lingerie store and I'll let you judge what clothing you'd like to see ME in."

She led him by the hand to the next store, Naruto unable to get out a word without stuttering, and blushing all the way. "I-I'd… uh….um… l-lets j-just…." He silenced himself when he found nothing to say, and just let himself be led along.

(2 hours later)

It was now about 1:00 PM, and Naruto was exhausted. Tenten had finally let him go, without taking him to the lingerie store, and all it had taken was for him to pay for some customization to be done quickly to a suit they'd found in the first 5 minutes. After waiting an hour and a half, they needed a little more done, then they were done. However, the entire time Tenten had spent window shopping other things nearby. Making a clone, Naruto sent the suit home, then went off to find his main focus for the day, Shino.

Aliera and all of team 8 were practicing at the normal training ground, having just finished their lunch break. Naruto arrived just as they were about to start on drills again, and merely tossed open his library for them to 'use' if necessary. Aliera, having seen it being built over Naruto's time at the academy, was very familiar with it, and set to work on Kiba and Hinata with it, Hinata throwing Naruto a timid glance before going off with the rest of the team, excluding Shino. Turning to Shino, Naruto started in on his working with the boy.

"There are several parts to being a chuunin, best first of all, you must be a leader. For this you need the tactical mind of one, so for that you must read this." Naruto pulled out a scroll and unsealed a book labeled 'The journal of four'.

Tossing it to Shino, the boy caught it. Naruto quickly explained. "That is a book written by a jounin and his team of genin, or well, the equivalents to that back when this was written, created by them for the purpose of guiding one on how to be a team player and a leader. I myself have read it, and trust me, that journal is probably most soldier's best friend for dangerous journeys."

"Secondly" Naruto stated, switching into lecture mode. "You need to be stronger, as you will be in charge of other's safety you must be able to protect. I won't tell you the rest of it, but you have to be stronger. For this, I'm giving you the gravity and healing seals back, this time to last for the month, and I will be teaching you in your element. I may not be the best at raiton jutsus, but I'm no pushover. Now, let's get to work."

Applying the seal, Naruto proceeded to show Shino the first jutsu he'd be learning. "Raiton: Lightning Shield no Jutsu!"

A cyclone of lightning spread around Naruto, not obscuring him from view, but seeming to make a nearly invisible shield. "Go ahead, throw a kunai."

Complying, Shino tossed a few kunai at him, just to have them struck away by seemingly invisible bolts. If Shino was shocked, he did not show it. After working for another few hours, Naruto found it about time to head home and get ready for his date.

Deciding to get home the easiest way, Naruto just took his ironing board, which he'd had to explain to team 8 as well, and used three quick shunshins to get home. Hopiing into the shower, Naruto took some time to make sure he was perfectly clean, then got out, dried himself off, put on some cologne, and got dressed. The suit was pretty straight forward, it was black with a white dress shirt underneath, and a little tight on his muscles which, despite his age, still managed to grow some. Only 13, Naruto pulled himself into the pants, dark black slacks, and put on his tie, a dark red Armani. Fastening it after little trouble, Naruto combed his hair into a reasonable neat state, having used some conditioner that Tenten had gotten him once to make it manageable, and putting on his black dress shoes, Naruto was off. Using Shunshin instead of the flying board, Naruto kept his clothes relatively clean, without disheveling them, and arrived quickly. Knocking on the door, he was quickly met by the sight of Temari in a tight red dress, almost outlining her figure, and with her hair down instead of in her usual four ponytails. She was wearing red gloves, one of which she quickly wrapped around one of his arms, as she led him down the streets of Konoha.

15 minutes later Naruto and Temari were at the front of the most fancy restaurant in all of Konoha, the Hokage Cuisine Palace. The restaurant had been there since the founding of Konoha by the first Hokage, and all but the fourth enjoyed eating there, the fourth apparently preferring ramen. Getting seated shortly thereafter, they were given the menus and Naruto's mouth would have dropped at the prices, but remained in place, knowing he'd had some tough missions lately and could easily pay with a check, even if it wiped out some of his savings. After ordering, Naruto and Temari began chit-chatting, before arriving on a more important topic.

"So… Temari-chan, after you leave, when will I see you again?"

"I'm not sure… definitely not until I make jounin, unless I get a job like ambassador or something. Though that would mean lots of traveling back and forth, and the only thing I can think of worse than leaving is to have to come and leave again multiple times over."

"I suppose… I'll wait for you of course. I have Hinata, and Tenten, but I really like you too so don't go off getting any ideas while you're in Suna, okay?"

"Heh, I couldn't if I wanted to. You're the only one for me, plus no one gets near me, because, well, I wasn't exactly a prime catch as a relative of the psychotic killer of Sand… thanks again for helping Gaara."

"Seriously, don't mention it. If you keep thanking me I'll die from saying 'your welcome'. Now, uh… well…"

Sensing he'd wanted to ask something, she caught his eye and just looked attentive. "Do you think we'll get any, you know, alone time before you go. I mean, I won't be seeing you for a while, I want to know more about you."

"Wondered when you'd get around to asking me. But then, a date is a good timer to talk about that, isn't it. Here, let's see…"

The rest of the evening was spent talking about their lives, exchanging stories funny or not. Leaving the restaurant, Naruto felt 120 poorer, but richer than ever in heart. Reaching over, he put and arm around Temari, and to respond she just leaned again him, despite the fact that they were nearly the same size, her being a little bit taller. Getting to the door, Naruto was about to leave when he felt a tap on his shoulder. Turning around, he'd expected to get a kiss, this is how most of his dates ended and he'd never understood the significance. Instead, however, Temari was motioning for him to follow. Walking into the woods a little ways, they sat down on a blanket she'd had stored out there. In a clearing looking over a small lake, they watched the sunset, the reds, orangers, yellow, and eventually pinks and purples sunk into them, the colors burning with passion, then glowing with the softness of the night. As the first stars began to light up to the young couple, Temari looked over t Naruto, who soon looked over at her.

"This is the best time I've had in a while… thank you."

"No problem… I had fun too."

Somehow Naruto had made even that casual comment sound romantic, and soon they were entranced. Leaning over to each other, they were about to kiss when suddenly something wet and yellow struck a nearby tree. Rounding on the intruder, Naruto heard a familiar voice shout "DYNAMIC MARKING!"

_Kiba… I'm going to kill you_ Naruto thought, looking over at Temari. _Unless Temari-chan does it first._

Temari was fuming. She was about to do something, when she noticed the brown haired boy was already gone, and she didn't know to where.

"Pick this up sometime else?" Naruto asked. However, passion still burned in Temari's eyes. Looking at him, she had a devilish grin on for a second before she had him pinned to the blanket, his arms above him, holding him in a kiss.

"Now." She meowed in a cat-like voice. Naruto would have restisted, but he could see down Temari's dress a little ways, and they were still bouncing from the force of Temari's strike. Seeing his eyes' path, Temari dove in again, catching him in a kiss, the got up and helped him up.

"I suggest you see Tenten sometime soon, to my knowledge she;s the only one you haven't taken on a date alone yet."

"How do you know that?"

"We're going to be your wives someday, we've got to share some things."

Naruto merely shook his head in mild frustration. The evening ended on a good note.

(3 weeks later)

The last 3 weeks of Shino's training had gone smoothly. The boy was now up to 20x, about 640 pounds, and was working at normal speed. He'd learned several lightning jutsus, as well as some earth jutsus to help his bugs, as well as some new clan jutsus. Along with that, his control had improved and Naruto had nothing left to teach Shino that he could learn in just a week. Thus, Shino was to spend the next 6 days working on his techniques, mastering them, and then take a day off before the exam. Naruto, however, just had a week of free time, which he would spend training with his sword.

Earlier in the week, Aliera had started training him.

(Flashback no jutsu)

"Naruto!" Aliera called, after just sending Kiba and Hinata home.

"Yeah?" Narusto responded, looking up from the technique he'd been showing Shino.

"Wrap it up and get over here, I have something to show you."

"Okay." Naruto looked to Shino. "Keep practicing, now head on home, I'll see you tomorrow". Shino nodded his head in confirmation, then left, and Naruto walked over to Aliera.

"What is it?" The blond chuunin asked.

"I'm gonna start teaching you in the art of kenjutsu. I know you already know how to use a staff, but a sword is a very different weapon. Read up on some styles if you can, but there aren't many for a sword the size of Kie."

As if noticing its name, the sword on her back let off a pulse of green light, which still sent shivers down Naruto's spine. Nevertheless, he was excited. "Really? I thought you were joking, I'm gonna get to wield Kie?"

"Yes, once you are Hokage. It is too powerful a sword to let fall into the wrong hands, so until you can protect a country with your power, you cannot wield this sword."

"Hey!" The blond shouted in indignation "You never had to defend a whole country!"

Aliera simply chuckled. "Kid, you're good at history right? Go look up what you can on the Village Hidden in the Soul."

Naruto looked confused, but didn't get to voice his thoughts before Aliera cut him off. "Now, Naruto, here." Aliera tossed him a sword Kie's shape and length with a weight seal on it, currently not set to anything. "I'm going to show you the basic katas, but to wield Kie she must feel like a feather to you, so pump that up to 600 pounds and we'll get started."

600 would have shocked most people, but considering Naruto was currently at 72x, approximately 2304 pounds, Naruto felt that was under-doing it. Pumping it up instead to 1200 pounds, Naruto began to follow her through the katas. However, Naruto soon regretted his decision, but couldn't reverse it without Aliera knowing he'd disobeyed an order on something so important. So, memorizing the katas, 1 hour later, Naruto finished. He was adjusting to the weight slowly, but figured it was for the better. Since then, after Shino's training ended, Naruto and Aliera would work until dinner, then eat, then train until 10 and go to their respective homes to sleep.

(End Flashback)

Naruto now was jounin level with his sword, not as good as Zabuza, but because of his talent with Kenjutsu he would still be a force to be reckoned with. However, Naruto noticed one main focus his styles lacked… speed. There were only two attack Naruto had with his staffs that were fast, and none with his sword, so Naruto went out in search of Konoha's resident master swordsman, Gekkou Hayate.

Hayate was usual found hanging around ANBU training grounds, waiting around for his girlfriend, but if not there, he was home or on a date with said girlfriend. Fortunately for Naruto, Hayate was at home, unfortunately: with his girlfriend.

Knocking on the door, Naruto rested his now favorite form of transportation and his training sword against the house. His ironing board creation had actually become common knowledge in Konoha, and all people with enough chakra had requested them, except for a few choice candidates. Normally Naruto would want to keep his creation to himself, but the fact that really no one except himself and maybe Jiraiya could successfully make one ensured that very few would ever exist. Naruto created about 10 of them for various ANBU captains and the creator, as well as one for Kakashi, Aliera, and Asuma, all of whom Naruto had become friends with at one point.

Feeling a slap on the cheek, Naruto looked up and saw Hayate looking rather disgruntled. He hadn't requested one, but he was a friend of Naruto's, through Aliera. "You shouldn't get lost in thought like that if you're the one knocking, Naruto."

"Eh heh, sorry. Um, I was wondering, do you think you could show me some of your style? I'm learning one for the Zanbatou Aliera will give me sometime, but my style lacks speed. I know you're the best at kenjutsu in Konoha, you've shown me many times, I was just hoping you could spare a little time maybe?"

Hayate was pondering it. The boy had given his girlfriend one of those cool flying ironing board things, so why not? He owed the kid enough for various other things too.

"Sure, Naruto. Tomorrow morning at 5 AM, my training ground, you know where to go."

"Thanks, I owe you one."

Hayate smiled at that, then closed the door, and heard the whoosh of air signaling Naruto leaving. _Heh, after tomorrow will be thank me or want to kill me. Well, back to work_. Redoubling his efforts, Hayate went back to his bedroom, his girlfriend pleased and surprised by his effort, and for once she burned out before him.

(Next Morning)

"Now Naruto" Hayate addressed the blond chuunin in his lecture voice (he'd taught at one point too, all jounin do). "The Dance of the Crescent Moon, my style for the katana, is a style based on strikes faster than the eye can see meant to disable an opponent so that a killing strike can be performed and finish them off. Now, I'm sure you know all the killing and disabling points" Naruto nodded _My main taijutsu style is based around it after all_. Hayated continued "So I won't have to teach you that. The best I can figure is I'll give you a scroll explaining the style and show you all the basic and mid level katas, so that you can make your own style for the zanbatou."

Naruto once again nodded in agreement, and they trained for seven hours until lunch time, when Hayate took off leaving a large scroll with a now exhausted Naruto, carrying a 1200 pound sword, who was dragging himself off to Ichiraku. However, just as he left the field, walking as he was too tired to concentrate on his board, Naruto saw Tenten. She'd probably been watching him train for a time, and making eye contact, she decided to come out of hiding.

"So that's what you've been doing… practicing kenjutsu. And you didn't invite me? The weapons specialist?"

Tenten sounded hurt, and Naruto had to admit that yes, he should have gone to her. _Its just.. she's not really strong enough to help me… she's not even really worth a spar, unless that sword changed something. Maybe… I'll ask._

"Tenten, I'm sorry, I know I should've come to you first its just, well, you're not really strong enough to help me with this…"

Tenten would've been fuming if what he said hadn't been true. She wasn't weak, but she wasn't Naruto. Still, wasn't part of being a good boyfriend helping the girl you love, the girl you need, did Naruto not need her?

"But, but then why wouldn't you help me? You've barely talked to me these past few weeks, but I've seen you haning out with both Hinata and Temari… am I just an extra? Is that it?!"

She was now crying, looking at the ground, her hands wiping tears from her eyes. However, she soon felt the warm embrace of the boy who was now in front of her. He was crying too, but wouldn't let go.

"I'm sorry, Tenten-chan, I love you, I really do. I know I've been busy, but I tried to make time for the three of you, I just… I got caught up training. I'll take you out on a date tonight, okay? Just you and me, anywhere you want, and I'll do whatever you want to do, I promise."

Tenten's crying lessened noticeable after than, and though she was still upset with him, she hugged back. "Okay, but anything I want, and you're paying."

"I'm sorry but I need to go… I'm supposed to be training Shino now, I'm a little late."

"It's okay… I'll see you tonight at 6, okay?"

"Okay."

(That evening)

Naruto had decided that going really formal would have been a bad idea, since it didn't leave him very flexible to do anything. Instead, he put on a black white T-shirt, and wore a black silk dress shirt over it, unbuttoned and not tucked in to his black slacks. Formal, but not overly so. His hair was as manageable as he could get it, but was still spiky. Carrying his ironing/flying board in a scroll in his left pocket, in case she wanted a ride, Naruto shunshined to her house and knocked. The person he saw took his breath away.

Tenten opened the door, wearing a purple chinese dress with red stitching in the shape of a dragon and gold buttons and clasps. It was quite elegant. In her hair, which was done into a bun in the back, there were two senbon needles, both dull. Her bangs hung down and hid a bit of her face, but not much. Her dress showed off some of her outline, leaving the rest to mystery, and went all the way down to her ankles. She wore sandals if red straps, also quite elegant in design. She was also wearing cherry red lipstick, and eyeliner which brought out her deep brown eyes, so deep Naruto lost himself in them. Leaning forward, he put one hand around the back of her head, then closed the distance between them, holding her to him and kissing her deeply. She blushed, but they both closed their eyes, and the moment was full of shared joy. Finally pulling back, Naruto voiced his thoughts.

"Wow… uhm, ahem. Uh, w-where are we going?"

"For a walk, I prepared a picnic, I hope you don't mind."

"No, not at all. I get to eat your cooking, what's not to like?"

She smiled a genuine happy smile, and soon led him out into the woods. They arrived, ironically, in the clearing that he and Temari had kissed in only a few weeks ago.

Naruto and Tent ate and exchanged small talk, but soon found themselves comfortable just leaning against each other watching the sunset.

"I have a surprise for you" Tenten huskily whispered in his ear. "Close your eyes."

Naruto complied, and soon felt his pants being unbuttoned. Being pulled down, Tenten pushed her hand over it, causing him to moan slightly. Removing a needle from her hair, she put it's dulled tip a few inches above his 3rd leg and told him to open his eyes. He did so, and fear swept his features. At this range, no one could miss, not even Tenten.

"W-What are you doing?"

"Next time you skip out on me for a month without it being for a mission, I'll make sure I have nothing to come to you for, or any other girl for that matter."

Naruto gulped and nodded, and she through the needle, lodging it into a nearby tree. Taking the other one out, she put it in the same tree in nearly the same place, a millimeter off. Her hair now down she whispered "good", and bent down. Now between his legs, Tenten kissed his 3rd leg once, causing it to stand at attention and then moved up. "And now I'm leaving you hanging. You gotta prove you love me before we ever go that far."

Pulling up his pants, Naruto said "And I'm not going that far until I'm married, so I guess we're in agreement here. I do love you, I always will."

"Silly, I know that, I was just kidding. I love you too, now let's just enjoy the sunset."

And they did, leaning against each other, the sunset faded from red and orange to purple violet, and they turned to each other. Brown melded into blue, and soon their lips met. It couldn't have been more perfect for either of them, that is, until a certain inconsiderate Inuzuka and his dog came by, shouting 'Dynamic Marking'. Naruto simply yelled after him, while Tenten wished she had her sword with her.

Meeting up back at her house again, they shared one last kiss, and Naruto promised he'd take her on another date after the exams. And Naruto always keeps his promises.

(1 week later)

It was the day before the chuunin exams. In that time, Naruto had developed his zanbatou style of fighting so that it was at least usable, naming it 'Tail of the Fox' to match his taijutsu style. Today, all people were either training, resting, or still arriving, but one thing was for sure, tomorrow would be an exciting day.

End chapter

Well guys, I finally overcame my writers block, settled down, and got something done. I hope you enjoyed it. I promise to update at least once every week, but as tests and essays are becoming more frequent, what with the summer coming soon and school ending, you'll just have to deal with less fast updates. Chuunin exams finish next chapter. Have good days you people, and remember, Review!


	17. Chapter 17

Seals of Fate

Hey guys, thanks for the reviews. Yeah, I know there had been little Hinata content lately, I'll be sure to fix that. Don't worry, I didn't forget about her. Anyways, once again, please let little errors go, and enjoy the chapter.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its contents. If I did... I can't come up with something funny...

Chapter 17: Exam of Strength: Unleash the Power

Naruto woke up as usual at 6:00 AM. The exams would be starting in a few hours, around 10 AM, but Naruto wanted to get there early to get good seats and cheer on his future wives. However, this was not the only thought which ran through his mind. He'd promised Hinata yesterday that he would pick her up at the training field at around 8, she had something she wanted to talk about, but only in private. On that day, her usual guards would likely be at the exam, so she would really be all alone.

Going through his usual routine, getting up, showering, drying, and getting dressed, Naruto decided he want to look somewhat better than usual. Throwing on an undershirt, Naruto then put on a white silk dress shirt, buttoning it up halfway, and put his chuunin vest on over it, hanging open. Putting on a pair of comfortable faded blue jeans which were modified to hold kunai and ripped at the bottom a bit to allow greater maneuverability, Naruto looked in the mirror. He actually thought he looked rather good, and decided to go eat. Usually this early, Naruto's ojji-san, the Hokage, would be there eating, but he'd left especially early to make some last minute preparations. After all, not only was the Kazekage coming, but also the Raikage. Naruto made himself breakfast, just cereal with milk and fruit, then set off for the training ground. Taking the ironing board, which had been officially named by Naruto and the ANBU as a Wind Board, Naruto went outside and flew off to the arena at an average pace of about 30 miles per hour. Flying high, Naruto waved a greeting to an ANBU captain who flew by on his own board, made by Naruto, and continued on his way, soon arriving at the training ground. It was 7:55, so he was early.

Scouting the area, Naruto sensed only Hinata, and assumed it was safe. Landing nearby, he flipped off the board and greeted Hinata with a kiss. She blushed slightly, but returned it. Sitting down, she motioned for Naruto to do the same. Complying, he sat down cross legged and simply waited attentively as she began to speak.

"Naruto-kun… you know how I tied with Neji?"

"Yeah…That was awesome!"

She paused for a moment, then continued. "No… it wasn't. They plan to put the caged bird seal on me, I didn't win."

Naruto simply looked slackjawed. He's spied on Neji once before, after receiving his level two doujutsu, and caught sight of the seal. Remembering that, one though came distinctly to mind.

"Hinata… That's a seal I can't remove… not without help from a summon who can destroy its power. It connects to the nervous system… they can't put it on you."

"They will. They said I am to be wed to you when you become jounin, and get your bloodline as well… t-they…" She broke down, crying "I'm sorry, I'm sorry."

Grasping her around the waist, Naruto pulled her in close and allowed her to weep. _If they want to put it on, I won't be able to stop it, I can't beat a whole clan, and I don't want to kill her family, that would make me no better than that Uchiha who killed Sasuke's clan. But then what can I do? I could go find the summoning contract for one of the animals that deals with seals, but the only one I know of is dragons, and they are supposedly a myth… are there others?_

Breaking from his thoughts, Naruto noticed her crying was slowing down. Stroking her hair, Naruto squeezed her a little tighter, more reassuringly. "When will this happen?"

"I-I'll get the s-seal after the exam ends… a week after."

"Do you want me to come?"

There was another short lapse in the conversation, but it was soon filled "N-no… It's a clan matter, you can't"

"But you'll be my wife, are you sure?"

"Yes…"

Naruto sighed, defeated knowing she wouldn't change her mind too easily if it really meant enough to her that she didn't want him there. Usually she wanted him wherever she was, but apparently the sealing process was some sort of secret, for her to want to hide it from his so badly. _Maybe she thinks I'll use the seal myself… probably not, I'll just drop the subject._

"We should go soon if we want good seats… you coming?"

"Yes" Hinata responded more resolutely than before. Walking through the woods, they leaned on each other, making their way to the arena. Naruto took a long look at her, then said "I love you, you know."

"I love you too."

A comfortable silence followed, each simply enjoying each other's company and warmth. Naruto once again found himself examining her figure. Today he was wearing a light blue kimono with a pattern of pink petals on it. Underneath she wore her ninja clothes, the navy blue tights and sweats like normal, but on the outside she was simply beautiful. Catching him staring at her, Hinata decided to have a little fun with him.

"See something you like?"

Naruto began to respond, but he was bright red, so what he said was too halting to actually understand. Eventually he simply nodded.

"What then? My figure? My rear?"

Hinata was having great fun. She'd only recently gotten the confidence needed to actually tease Naruto, particularly teasing him about his so-called innocence. "Well?"

Naruto was a mess, he was blushing too deep to respond in words, but decided to get her back. Removing his hand from her shoulder, he traced it down her back to her butt and gave it a gentle squeeze. Hinata gasped, and even though it felt kind of good, she would never admit that he had gotten her. She was winning for once, and she wanted to win. Thinking of a good response, she traced her left hand from his shoulder down to his butt, and gave it a harder squeeze while she used her right hand to hug him around the side, his right hand still on her rear.

This time Naruto gasped, and almost let out a little moan before he stopped himself, she was so soft, her hands, her breasts now pressed against him, and her silky hair. And her scent, the aura of womanly scent she gave off was near irresistible. Unable to control himself, Naruto felt his 3rd leg stiffening, and was soon too embarrassed to even look at Hinata, staring at his shoes and trying to use his right hand to cover his stiffy from sight.

Hinata, unfortunately for Naruto, had noticed the reaction and decided to finish him off. Win this battle and she'd win the war, for now. Giving Naruto a hard slap on the butt, Hinata giggled as it forced him to move his hands back, revealing his stiff member beneath his pants. He grumbled something about 'blue haired girls being too attractive for their own good, then hid it again until it became soft enough to not be noticed again. Hinata was cheering her victory silently. However, once they were walking at normal pace again, she noticed his hand was not on her shoulder again, it was still laced on her rear. Enjoying the feeling, she simply waited unil they were out of the woods to move his hand forcefully up, but that was half an hour later. Only a minute into the half hour, Hinata and Naruto were leaning on each other more, and Hinata's hand was also on Naruto's rear, moving up once they got into public.

Making it to the arena, it was already beginning to fill up, even though there was still a little more than an hour until the exams actually started. Getting seats only a few rows back from the front, they found themselves just beneath the Kage balcony. Already some ANBU were arriving in the crowd, but considering the amount of people that would be there, it looked like far too few of them. Shaking his head, Naruto turned back to Hinata, and shared his observations.

"More ANBU will probably come when more people arrive, plus, they need to be around the village too."

"Good point, let's not worry about it too much then."

"Kay. Naruto… don't worry about the seal. Once we are married it won't matter much, right? I mean, its not like I'd be in danger."

"Hinata, you may not know, but some people of your clan don't particularly like me, or you" Hinata snorted, she knew that. He continued "okay fine, maybe you do know. Still, that means they may be willing to use you to get to me, and as long as you have that symbol, you have something on you which I intend to destroy, the clan systems which imprison people. Hinata, you are mine, I won't have them exert control over you… but I can't take on a clan, so all I can do is learn to remove it."

"Remove it? Is that even possible? I thought you said you couldn't."

"Yes, and I can't without help… I remember some documents on sealing mentioning familiars… if I can get a summoning contract for a creature that works with seals, I could probably remove the seal."

"Summoning? But Konoha only has one active one, and that belongs to Jiraiya of the Sannin. Even with your heritage I doubt he'll train you."

"True, but then, toads aren't useful for sealing. I believe I remember a scroll which mentioned several familiars.. including eagles and sloths, which helped with sealing. I don't know where either is located though… I'd have to find them."

"I believe eagles are native to cloud, so you aren't getting that one. The last sloth summoner was from the Leaf, but he died long ago in the woods…"

"How do you know all this?"

Hinata giggled slightly at his befuddled look. It always looked so cute on him. "I study too, have you ever seen a dumb Hyuuga?"

"Er…" Naruto found he didn't really have a response to that, so he settled for the non-committal 'er' and left it at that. Hinata giggled again, but remained quiet. She leaned against him on the bench, and for the rest of the time they simply chatted. They were eventually joined by a number of Ninja, including all of team 10, including a troubled Shikamaru, an eating Chouji, and a frustrated Ino who was dealing with Sakura and Sai. Kakashi arrived as well, his nose, well… mask, buried in another one of those Icha Icha books, ignoring Gai who was shouting about youth while Lee copied. Neji looked grumpy, but sat down next to Hinata. With her perhaps getting a curse seal and her 'way of changing fate' Neji had actually become friendly towards Hinata, and after learning where all of that came from, along with a bit of Naruto's pain, he became at least a little respectful of the two. Of course, Naruto didn't know what Hinata had told Neji, but he knew something had happened, and since the preliminaries they'd become moderate friends from the times they met when Naruto saw Hinata those brief times. Kiba and Kankurou argued about the use of tools nearby, but not too close, as Kiba still feared what Hinata or Naruto may do to him. The matches were soon to start, and though there was still a deficiency of ANBU in the stands, not much else was strange. All seven of the contestants stood before the crowd, Genma in front of them explaining what was to happen. Soon, five of them were heading up the stairs to the waiting room, while Tenten and Temari were facing off.

Naruto didn't know who to cheer for, since he was eventually gonna get married to them both, so he decided he would just cheer in general. Hinata liked both as well and decided to do the same. Looking down at them, Genma had just started the match.

(In the Arena)

"Hey Tenten" called the blond. "Wanna make a bet?"

"Sure, what's your offer?" the brown haired kunoichi called back.

"Winner goes on the next date with Naruto, unless Hinata gets him first." Temari called out, smirking.

"Alright, and loser buys the winner a dress of the winner's choice." Tenten called back.

"Raising the stakes are we?" Said Temari, raising an eyebrow.

"Heck yeah, now enough talking, let's go." Tenten responded, throwing needles at her blond friend.

Naruto was just blushing up in the stands while others looked between him and the match, focusing on the match when combat began. Temari easily deflected the needles, sending them back at Tenten, only faster. Moving out of the way, Tenten pumped some chakra to the seals on her palms, summoning a pair of kunai. Running around Temari in a semi-circle, she threw them slowly at her opponent. Being reflected back at twice that, Temari laughed, thinking this was an easy win. However, Tenten caught the same kunai, twirling them on her fingers to maintain some amount of momentum, and jumped above the wind blast, hurling them back twice as fast as before, essentially four times normal speed.

Temari, unprepared for the attack, tried to create a new wind blast, but it clashed slightly with the previous one still in the area, reducing effectiveness. Dodging a split second too late, one kunai ended up in Temari's calf, the other knocked away by the metal of the fan. Pulling out the kunai, Temari threw it to the ground. Swinging her fan, she announced her attack "Fuuton: Wind Blade no Jutsu"

Chakra blades in the wind launched at Tenten, though she defended herself by dodging behind a tree and waiting for the wind to subside. Seeing that ranged attack would be of minimal effectiveness, Tenten drew her sword. Moving out from behind the tree, Tenten settled into her sword stance, Iceflame in her right hand, parallel to the ground. Temari went to unleash another Wind Blade, but Tenten used shunshin, draining about a third of her reserves, to appear behind Temari. Dodging a kick from the blond girl, Tenten forced chakra through her sword, lengthening the blade with ice. Bringing the tip in front of Temari's left eye, Temari dropped her fan, and raised her hand. "I surrender"

Tenten bowed to both of them, then grinned. "Guess you owe me a dress, and Naruto-kun owes me a date." She returned to the waiting/viewing room, sheathing her sword, while Temari went to the infirmary. Naruto made a Kage bunshin to escort her and make sure she was okay, after all, he couldn't miss Shino's match.

(In the Arena)

Shino was facing off against the rock nin, Sabaki. From what Shino had seen in the preliminaries, he used more ranged attacks than taijutsu, but then, the match had been done in seconds. Genma announced the start of the exam, and Shino, seeing Sabaki finish seals way faster than any genin should've been able to, had just enough time to dodge out of the way of a large rock, about the size of his head, that shot out of the ground. Using his upped speed, Shino began to circle around Sabaki, leaving bugs in his wake which were making their way towards the rock nin. Performing seals, Shino said quietly "Doton: Bug Burial no jutsu", and in an instant, his bugs were covered in a thin layer of dirt, allowing them to hide while crawling just under the surface of the ground.

Sabaki, catching sight of the bugs, determined that he must not let them reach him. Pumping chakra to his legs, he jumped high into the air. As soon as his feet left the ground, all the bugs emerged from the ground and tried to swarm him, glowing blue. _Dammit, didn't see that last jutsu_. Performing a kawarimi, a log appeared where he had been, and he was now behind one of the few trees. Performing 56 hand seals in just over ten seconds, he whispered "Doton: Earth Dragon no Jutsu". A gigantic 20 foot dragon made of dirt burst from the ground, diving at Shino. Moving out of the way, Shino's leg got caught by the dragon, which shifted direction. Breathing fire, the dragon nearly scorched Shino before he too performed a kawarimi. Landing right next to Sabaki, Shino performed two seals. "Raiton, Swarm Darin no Jutsu".

The rock nin, unable to defend himself at such close range, was swarmed and had nearly all his chakra drained out, then channeled back into him as lightning. Using a bit of his remaining chakra, he created a shield to block out the bugs, then leapt back. Both were now breathing hard, but Shino still had a decent supply of chakra left. Charging in with boosted speed, Shino made to punch the genin, who didn't move. Creating a tiny shield of rock where Shino's punch would've landed, he blocked the punch, and kicked the genin. However, a bug clone behind the rock nin which Shino made earlier delivered a quick chop to a point on the neck Naruto had shown him which knocked out the rock nin before he could react. A rather tired Shino walked back up to the balcony, while the rock nin was carried to the infirmary. Up in the stands, all the Konoha nin had been cheering on Shino, and Naruto hugged Hinata when the boy won. It was a good victory.

The third match, and by far the most interesting to the spectators was about to begin. Sasuke and Gaara stood in front of each other, a mere 10 paces separating them. Genma declared the start of the fight, and the match began. Sasuke began copying Lee's taijutsu, but Gaara's improved control of the sand didn't allow a hit through, the red-haired boy didn't even look fazed. Tiring of the boring raven-haired boy's assault, Gaara created some sand from the dirt around him, and pushed them into tiny orbs in the air. Shooting this orbs like kunai, Sasuke soon gained several cuts, never really being hit strongly, but not able to avoid them entirely.

The match dragged on, and Sasuke was getting annoyed. Forming some seals, he announced "Katon: Great Fireball no jutsu". However, the gigantic ball of fire did little, impacting with Gaara's shield and causing no damage. Gaara just stood there. Dispelling his balls of sand, Gaara decided to try something different. Pooling sand around himself in an ever growing circle, Gaara soon had half the arena inaccessible by moving on it, as it would cause the runner to be trapped in sand tentacles. Sasuke, leaping onto the wall, took his last shot. Forming for seals and grasping his left forearm, he shouted "Chidori", as lightning began to form in his hands. His Sharingan was spinning wildly, having been active since the beginning of the match. Leaping with the help of Chakra, Sasuke was about to land on the red-haired boy, except the boy simply side stepped him, the glancing blow reflecting off the sand and burning Sasuke's left hand. Trapping Sasuke in sand, Gaara said his first words of the match: "Surrender or die."

Sasuke was not one to give in to such threats, however he was desperate. _I need more power!_ Drawing himself up, Sasuke looked for power, any power within him, and came upon some. Drawing out his curse seal by force, grimacing at the pain it caused, Sasuke released his 1st level seal. Bursting from the sand, he attacked Gaara and scored a hit, making the boy bleed, and causing him to draw upon power from his seal. The mix of tainted and demonic chakra made the air intoxicating, but most people weren't awake to notice it. Most of the audience was under a genjutsu and now asleep, however all the ninja were quickly awakened by the others around them that were awake. During this time, Kakashi jumped down to suppress the seal, but a different figure appeared next to Sasuke, touching the seal. Sasuke went insane, his skin beginning to turn reddish brown, and sped off to the woods. Unable to follow the figure as it leapt up to the balcony the Hokages were at, Kakashi just told Gaara "Go after him, stop him if you can. I'll try to send Naruto along." Complying with his allied superior, Gaara sped off after Sasuke, using some demonic power to boost his speed.

(On the Balcony)

Naruto and Gai were fighting off various Kumo and Sound nins, while the genin woke each other up. Naruto, taking a semblance of control over the situation, called over to the genin. "All of you, help defend the city where you can, just get out of here. Too much heavy fighting. If you can, help with the evacuation."

Sensing the urgency in his voice, they leapt off with their teams to try to be useful, Hinata blowing Naruto a kiss. Naruto, on the other hand, threw a shuriken just to her side, narrowly missing her. She heard a 'thump' noise behind her and saw a kumo nin drop to the ground, still holding a kunai. The shuriken had hit him right between the eyes, killing him instantly. Hinata was frightened for a moment, but then felt better when Naruto smiled at her. She followed Kiba out, off to the infirmary to help Shino out of the arena area. Naruto, activating his doujutsu level 1, began projecting exploding seals onto various ninjas around, blowing off limbs at the cost of about 1 of Naruto's chakra each. By the 12th one, Naruto decided he had spent enough time there. Nodding to Gai, Naruto sped off in search of Sasuke and Gaara.

(With Gaara)

Sasuke had gotten a head start, and was almost twice as fast as Gaara. However, the boy had to make frequent stops to regain sanity. About five minutes into the woods, Gaara caught up to Sasuke and was about to attack when Kabuto, a supposed Konoha nin, popped out of the bushes wearing a headband showing the symbol of the Sound Village. Stopping Gaara, Kabuto allowed Sasuke to go on his way, into the woods. The tainted power was radiating off the boy in waves.

Gaara quickly summoned his sand from his gourd, and began trying to hit Kabuto with it, but every time the sand got close, Kabuto would strike it with his hands, now glowing blue, and the sand would stop in its tracks. Kabuto soon moved in close, breaking through Gaara's sand shield by disrupting the chakra flow as he;d done before, and scored a solid hit on the red-haired boy's chest. The boy's healing factor quickly repaired the damage, but Gaara knew this wouldn't be enough. Accessing the full tail of power, Gaara transformed into his Shukaku state, his eyes now yellow. In a voice much deeper than normal, Gaara proclaimed "**You will not stand in my way**"

Kabuto, with urgency, performed his summoning Jutsu, summoning his personal snake, Echiola, a serpent not quite the size of Manda, but still quite larger. Dodging around Gaara's transformed state, the snake began striking at the raccoon, but all damage dealt was quickly healed by sand in the surrounding area. Using his tail, Gaara's shukaku state spun and smacked the snake, creating a large gash along its left side. Exchanging blows for another few minutes, the two ninja began to tire, very quickly. A summon as strong as Kabuto's had managed to get in a few good hits, and with the Shukaku not being able to unleash its full power with Gaara awake and not insane, his overall power was really closer to that of a Kage, not a demon. The battle raged on for only two more minutes, until finally they struck each other, and both ninja fell unconscious. The force of the blow hit Kabuto as well, already exhausted from healing Echiola, and Gaara couldn't hold the form any longer.

Naruto came upon the site mere seconds later, seeing Gaara and Kabuto laying there. Noticing the sound village headband, Naruto didn't bother to check who the ninja was, and simply shoved a few kunai into the ninja's throat, making sure the ninja was dead, then continuing on the path of tainted chakra. The power up ahead was way too strong, and Naruto was not looking forward to the fight. However, he was really the only person who could stop it. Running faster, he began to catch up to the tainted one.

(Earlier, Kage Balcony)

The Raikage, Hokage, and Kazekage were all gathered on the roof, along with the Hokage's guard, Aliera. The Kazekage had just jumped down and done something to Sasuke, then jumped back up. Then, the Raikage used a water jutsu to coerce the two to the roof of the building, which eventually resulted in the four of them being trapped within a purple rectangular prison, formed by four sound ninjas around them.

All three of the Kage's throwing off their robes, the Hokage was the first to speak. "Orochimaru, I should've known you'd be here. For Sasuke I presume?" Wearing black battle gear, the formidable old ninja had enough malice and killer intent in his voice to stun even Ibiki.

"Ku ku ku, well of course. The Sharingan is too powerful to be left in the hands of an ignorant fool like you. I will use it to gain power, and then, then you will see what the greatest of the Sannin can accomplish." Said the man who was formerly in the Kazekage's robes. He had pale white skin and purple triangles under his eyes. Long black hair draped halfway down his back, and his tan tunic and black ninja pants were standard as they come. The Raikage stood by his side, in chain armor with a sword at his side and kunai pouches on his blue ninja pants.

"The Greatest of the Sannin? I believe that title should belong to Jiraiya. After all, he trained the 4th did he not?" Aliera said mockingly, drawing Kie from her back, which began to glow green.

"Ah, Pathfinder Aliera I see. Or should I call you your real nickname, Soulstealer?" Orochimaru hissed out. Aliera was unfazed by his words. In her green battle garb, she was as ready as anyone to begin the fight. And she intended to start it up.

"Snake bastard. It's two on two here, you shouldn't be so cocky. Why don't you draw that sword of yours and let me get a real fight."

"Ku ku ku, you underestimate me. I am not so blunt as to rush into a fight without think of course."

The Raikage then spoke, directing his attention to Orochimaru. "Let's finish this quickly, we have a war to win, and we're not here just for the boy."

Orochimaru remained silent, contemplating what he'd planned to do. _I have about 10 minutes to finish this fight, well, if he wants to start, I'll let him._ "Then let us go, before we have to call off this war."

Charging forward, the Raikage and Orochimaru were met by the flinging of tiles, from a jutsu by the Third. "I may be old, but you are still far too young to beat me, student."

Performing more seals, the Hokage shouted "Doton: Mud River no jutsu". A river of mud formed on the surface of the building, trapping the Raikage, but missing Orochimaru who moved out of the way. The Raikage, however, merely plunged a fist into the river, drying and cracking it so that it existed no more.

Aliera, growing tired of waiting for an attack to come to her, charged the Raikage with her sword, Swinging it out in an arc in front of her. The arc momentarily paralyzed the Hokage, who used Kanashibari no Jutsu without hand seals to paralyze Aliera as well. While this occurred, Orochimaru began fighting the Third.

Jumping back, Orochimaru began performing handsigns, and soon 2 coffins rose from the ground, one labeled 1, the other labeled 2. Out from them stepped the two past Hokages, the Shodaime and Nidaime. However, before Orochimaru could stick in the kunai needed to control them, Aliera flicker-stepped in and cut off both their heads, removing the souls and thus the two Hokages, in an instant. Turning to Orochimaru, Aliera pointed her hand at him, shouting "Kinjutsu: Amorphia Meta!". Once again, the bluish substance shot from her hand, however also containing all the other colors. It wrapped its way around Orochimaru and was about to enclose on him when his sword, Kusanagi, shot through it. The amorphia returned to Aliera, re-entering her hand, as she dodged the sword flying out at her. However, the Raikage, engaged in a fierce taijutsu battle with the Third Hokage, was not so lucky. The sword flew straight through his back, killing him almost instantly, the chain mail doing nothing to stop the path of the blade. Orochimaru, however, did not stop the combat. Swatting Aliera aside, he began performing handseals. Launching a fireball at the third, who countered with a wall of water, the snake sannin retrieved Kusanagi, only to be struck by a earth bullet made by the Hokage. "Doton: Earth Bullet!" the old man shouted again, firings over 20 large boulders, the size of a person's head, at the sannin foe.

Performing more seals, the Third began launching jutsu after jutsu at the Sannin, who countered each one, and after a minute of jutsu swapping, of all elements, the entire roof was smashed, nearly obliterated. Aliera, recovering from the use of amorphia and the smack, used her sword to stand herself up again. Pointing at Orochimaru, she announced her jutsu "Kinjutsu: Amorphia bullet!" while the third announced his "Katon: Fire Dragon no Jutsu". The two attacks converged, turning the dragon into white flame, and burning straight through where the sannin had been a split second before. However, the Sannin was not expecting one factor, The third had directed the dragon, at the last second turning it to the side with speed only another Kage could follow, let alone dodge. Orochimaru, too tired to see the attack very well, lost his left arm to the attack. The Third, twirling the dragon around again, made it follow the Sannin with great speed, nearly taking off other limbs on multiple occasions until it died out. At this moment, Orochimaru took his last shot. Firing Kusanagi from his mouth at great speeds (having 'sheathed' it earlier in it throat) the sword went through the smoke and came out, just in front of Aliera. The sword went straight through her, the force pushing her back toward the prison wall… contact with it setting her aflame. She was dead before she hit the ground her heart, exposed through the whole in her chest, burnt to a crisp. Kie laid pulsing softly on the tiles of the roof.

The Hokage, seeing his fallen comrade and best jounin fall, looked up with more hatred in his eyes than any other had ever seen. Summoning his staff, he charged his former student, the Snake Sannin, and began desperately trying to hit him. All the chakra he'd used were catching up with him, his old age slowing him down. Fighting with a kunai, Orochimaru managed to get into a deadlock, then fling the old man off, gaining just enough time to get Kusanagi from the roof. Picking it up and blocking the staff that was aiming for his head, Orochimaru managed to fend off the old man, cutting into the staff slightly. Engaging in kenjutsu once more, the Hokage found himself outmatched, and threw his staff backwards, allowing it to transform into Enma. Then, performing a few seals, the Hokage used the one jutsu he'd learned from Naruto well, "Katon: Raiton Staff no Jutsu". The staff of lightning, far more powerful than any staff Naruto had been able to make, fit perfectly for Sarutobi, who began fighting Orochimaru on even ground once more. Deadlocking several times, both the Sannin and his teacher held the same thought: _I must end this quickly, time is short_.

Orochimaru attempted to leap back, only to have his remaining arm caught by the ape, Enma, who had snuck up behind him. Using the opportunity to full advantage, Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, cut off Orochimaru's other arm. However, the cost was Kusanagi, hitting him full in the chest, or so he thought. Enma threw himself in front of the sword, it passing straight through him. In order to prevent dying, the ape went back to the realm of summons as really, he was no longer in any condition to be fighting.

"This is the end, Sarutobi-sensei" The Snake Sannin whispered, bringing his sword to the old man's staff, spitting the word 'sensei' like the poison of his snakes.

"Yes, for you." The old man replied. Using the last of his strength, he created a second staff made of lightning in his other hand, no hand seals, and jammed it through the Snake Sannin's chest, moving it up in a killing strike, nearly cutting the man in half. Orochimaru fell back, his heart now in two pieces, most of his torso scarred with electricity burns, but first threw his sword, putting it neatly between Sarutobi's second and third ribs. The old man died upon the sword, unable to fight the cold grasp of death any longer.

The four sound jounin surrounding the area dropped the shield, and were about to leave when Kakashi, Gai, Asuma, Kurenai, and Anko dropped down, along with four ANBU and a commander. They didn't leave alive.

(With Naruto)

Naruto had to run for only two more minutes before he caught up to the Uchiha. He now had wings, a reddish tan body, and his sharingan was pulsing wildly. The seal was completely out of control, and it seemed the only way to prevent this menace from getting away would be to kill it, or seal the power. Option two was already nearly impossible, so option one would be the best choice.

Sasuke turned to see who had followed him, only to grin maniacally upon seeing his foe. "Well dobe, we shall see now who has the power. If I can kill you, I can kill Itachi, right? RIGHT?!"

The voice rose higher on the last word, as a chidori formed in the demon-like Sasuke's left hand. Charging with blinding speed, speed Naruto had not expected, Sasuke put a hole through Naruto's chest. He'd aimed for the heart, but Naruto had just enough time to move the strike away from the killing point. Activating his level two doujutsu, Naruto rose to tailed form one, the single tail forming behind him, his power matching Sasuke's. Removing Sasuke's hand from himself with a burst of chakra, Naruto healed in seconds, but by that time he was already engaging Sasuke in taijutsu.

Launching into his style, Naruto began to his pressure points on Sasuke's body, slowing the boy down slgithly, but as soon as a point was hit, the Uchiha would make a sharp movement and retaliate. After a short exchange, the both land attacks, Sasuke punching Naruto in the face, Naruto hitting Sasuke in the chest with two fingers, pushing him back. Both panting, they were about to charge again when a shriek came from the trees.

"SASUKE!" The girl screamed, her pink hair bouncing as she ran into the clearing. Somehow, even as he was, he still attracted fangirls. "Sasuke, stop. You don't want to kill, please, stop this." the girl pleaded. She was joined soon by Sai, who also looked at the boy pleadingly… or with what passes for pleading with a relatively emotionless face.

Sasuke was not amused, not would he waiver on the subject. Naruto would've gone in for a killing strike then if it wouldn't have traumatized the girl, but with what was about to happen, Naruto believe he should've just taken his chance.

Sasuke picked up the girl and threw her, attempting to kill her by sending her through a tree. Naruto, of course, stopped the girl in mid-air and put her down, but she'd already passed out. That was when Naruto heard a gurgled yell and the sound of birds. Sasuke had just driven a chidori through Sai, his other team mate. Naruto heard the raven-haired boy grumble "not quite" as a shape started to form in his eyes. As he was removing his hand from Sai, Naruto charged him, creating a staff of lightning in his hands and beginning the kenjutsu fight. Sasuke countered with yet another chidori, this time lengthening it and using it as a sword, breaking Naruto staff.

Moving past the blond haired chuunin, Sasuke went for his target. How convenient she came to him, rather than him having to find her. He remembered his relationship with her, the events flashing before him before the final blow.

(Flashback no Jutsu)

"Sasuke-kun! Want to go somewhere with me?"

"Hnn, like what, a date?"

She squealed at the thought, then calmed herself. Nervously tapping her foot, she said quietly "maybe…" the blush apparent on her cheeks. They'd only been team mates for two weeks, and she hadn't proven entirely useless. He was actually considering it, just to get his mind off things. "Sure, Sakura, let's go…"

The next image popped up, showing them later that evening. Sakura had gotten tired, and Sasuke didn't really hate the girl, she had been trying to get stronger, if only for him._ And she's pretty, she'd probably be perfect for rebuilding my clan…_ With that thought, he accidentally jiggled her a bit. She stirred, then looked up at him, their eyes meeting, and she leaned up and kissed him on the lips.

Next image: It was after their first C-rank mission, which Naruto had helped with. Sakura hated the dobe just as much as he did, calling him a 'know-it-all' and a 'perv' when she'd walked in on her going to the bathroom in the woods, on accident of course. The day they got back, Sasuke invited Sakura out on a date, and that day they made-out.

Next image: Their second C-rank mission. Sakura had a 'nightmare' and crawled into Sasuke's tent on 'accident', then cuddling up for warmth. He woke up happy the next morning, the soft feeling of her again him much better than waking up alone.

Next image: Two weeks before the exams. She slept over at his house, talking about his clan and why he did what he did. Sakura agreed completely, and wished to help him. They kissed, and he felt better.

Next image: The day before. They had slept in the same bed, half naked, for 'good luck' and both enjoyed it. Sasuke believed she was the best thing to ever happen to him.

(End Flashback)

Sasuke brought the Chidori down into Sakura's head, causing it to explode. When he looked up, his eyes had formed shuriken, the Mangekyou. Focusing on Naruto, he could see all that he was, including his doujutsu. "Dobe" the boy muttered, through tears, "Now, you and Itachi, will die."

Naruto looked up, only to see black flames shooting towards him faster than could be dodged. The flames covered his body, so painful that it was as if the sun's energy had all just been focused on himself. All was black, until he faded and fell backwards.

Standing in his mindscape, Naruto believed he would see the fox, but he did not. He saw before him a gigantic Ying-yang symbol, one tail lit, the others empty. Walking forward, Naruto touched the tail, and felt his energy flare. Touching two, then two more, he now saw five tails emanating from the walls, runes, and shapes.

Waking up, he could've only been out for a second, as Sasuke was now staring at him, his eyes wide. Naruto's eyes had turned yellow, with black slits and white fiery kanji for seal in them. His doujutsu, it had changed again, but that wasn;t what was concerning Sasuke, no, it was the five fiery tails waving behind Naruto, until three receded in seconds, and now only two were left waving behind the boy. The blond's eyes remained yellow, and the two tails waved threateningly. Their power was equal, but their eyes were not. Sasuke looked into Naruto's, and activated Tsukynomi, while Naruto looked into Sasuke's and whispered one word "Seal."

In an instant, Naruto was sucked into a world where he was tortured by Sasuke for 24 hours, and Sasuke was sucked into a world where he could see nothing but thousands of seals covering the walls, torturous screams, horrifying images, and random blasts of energy causing him to dodge constantly for 24 hours. Both emerged from their respective hells, their minds damaged, but instantly repairing due to their power. Naruto simply looked Sasuke in the eyes again, and said two words the Uchiha would never forget. "Sharingan, Sealed."

The sharingan receded from Sasuke's eyes, a brief seal flashing in them before fading to his usual onyx ones. Second's later, Naruto whispered "Power, sealed." And with that, the 'Heaven's Seal' on Sasuke faded, the pattern reverting to the marks, and receding until within the seal, except not with a seal around it and an X intertwined. Sakura and Sai dead, Sasuke powerless, Naruto let the demonic power recede back into his seal, moving his eyes down to second level, then 1st, then back to the almost serene cerulean blue. Creating 3 Kage Bunshins, Naruto brought them back to the destroyed village, the invasion having ended and the Kumo nins leaving, The sound nins following. Fortunately, Naruto met no resistance on the way.

(4 days later)

All the bodies had been accounted for, the sound, with no leader, was invaded by Cloud, located right next to it, and all their territory taken. War was still declared between the two, but the political scene was becoming a mess. The rock, Iwa, joined with Kumo, while Suna joined with Konoha, and all through this, Konoha lost about half its military force, the village greatly damaged, and with no Hokage in charge. Jiraiya, who arrived the day after the invasion upon hearing the news, was made temporary Hokage, and much the council's surprise, was somewhat serious about it. However, he stated once the village was back in order to a reasonable extent, he would hand over the position to someone else and leave. In one month's time, he would set off to find his other old team mate to lead Konoha, because Jiraiya did not want to give up the freedom of his life. The paperwork…

Jiraiya hadn't slept in three days, reading endless reports and trying to restore the village. The ninja population was doing what it could, but the village wouldn't be fully ready again for a long time. Sifitng through reports of the dead and of combat, he struck one which piqued his interest even while in his sleep deprived state. All it said was: 'Come find me'. _Well_ Jiraiya thought, _This'll be interesting_.

Chapter End

I wrote this all in one day, on top of other work. I hope you enjoyed it, I tried to do the combat as best as possible without stretching it out endlessly. Please review!


	18. Chapter 18

Seals of Fate

Thanks for the reviews guys. Yes, I know last chapter was a bit depressing and confusing, what with all the deaths, but all will be revealed in time. Enjoy the chapter.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its contents. If I did, there would be more swords.

Chapter 18: Beginning of the End.

Jiraiya didn't know who the report was from, or why it was submitted when all it said was 'come find me', but the simple fact that it had been there set the turmoil of the village aside. Of course, ceremonies to honor the dead ninja who protected the village, as well as the ceremony to honor the death of the Third Hokage, would be taking place tomorrow and over the next few days. The cemeteries would get more bodies, the memorial stone would get more names, but one disappearance seemed to disturb many of the younger ninja.

Looking out over the town from the top of the Hokage tower, Jiraiya once again reflected over how much he didn't want the job, but knew there was no one else who could do it, other than Tsunade or Kakashi. Kakashi really wasn't known for his leadership abilities, and Tsunade would be hard to find, so he knew that he couldn't leave to find her until the village was relatively safe again. Until the inhabitants of his village would once again be safe from outside harm, no matter how large or small, weak or powerful… Jiraiya turned to reflecting on the one person he knew of whose importance was greater than any other. Uzumaki Naruto, the container of the Kyuubi, had disappeared after the invasion, not killed, but missing in action. The recent disappearance of Kie, Aliera's sword, proved that he was still somewhere near the village, but with the kind of emotional distress the boy had experienced, Jiraiya truly wondered _could the Kyuubi escape?_

Seeing an opportunity to leave the office, Jiraiya set off to find the boy. Remembering where his old student always went whenever he was troubled, he looked up to the Hokage monument. Sure enough, a tuft of blond hair and a green glow were emanating from it… but instead of the 3rd's head, it was coming from the 4th's. Jumping high up, Jiraiya landed atop the monument, looking down at a mediating young boy… with a green aura and one green tail of energy flowing from his backside. Noting the sword in the boy's hand, the old Sannin recalled something Aliera had once told him.

(Flashback no Jutsu: 5½ years ago)

"So, you gonna try peeping on me again?" An angered Aliera asked the Sannin, who was now laying on his back, covered in bruises.

"No Ma'am." The older ninja replied as steadily as he could. _Note to self, do not peep on powerful kunoichi_.

"So what did you come here for anyway?" The woman inquired, stepping over the man and into the kitchen of her apartment.

"I came to talk to you about… well, about Naruto."

"Eh? What is it?"

"This is confidential, you may tell no one under penalty of death, especially if they are children."

_Must be pretty serious. _"I understand. Tell me."

Jiraiya nodded to himself, as if deciding on something in his mind, then spoke. "Naruto, is the container of the nine-tailed Demon Fox, Kyuubi no Kitsune."

"Oh that's all? Okay then, I won't tell anyone." Aliera said, completely unfazed.

Jiraiya's jaw dropped, but he quickly composed himself, and spoke again. "How'd you know?"

"The first day he came to the academy, my sword pulsed and found demonic chakra. From the whispers I've heard around here, though I've mostly ignored them, it wasn't hard to find out. Sure, it happened when I was young, so I don't remember much other than the roars, but just sensing it was enough for me to know. The kid is special, lucky guy being taken in by the Sarutobis, heck, most of the village likes him. Imagine if he was abandoned?"

Jiraiya just smiled a wide, wide smile. Someone knew the demon wasn't killed, just sealed, and didn't hold it again the boy. Then something occurred to Jiraiya…

"Wait a minute… how could your sword have sensed demonic chakra without being demonic itself?"

"Oh, simple really. My sword was forged of metal made by an enchanter who was trying to control the demons. My sword steals souls, pulses, controls demons and more, but then, you knew most of that, right?"

Jiraiya nodded. _The controlling demons bit is new, but then, maybe it's a good idea that's she'll be getting close to Naruto, she can control him if the seal ever breaks, right?_

(End Flashback)

So there he was, Jiraiya just standing before the boy, as he began to form the 2nd green tail. How he was suppressing his power, so that it couldn't be felt even as such a close range, was unfathomable. The control it would require would be enormous, but then, this boy was just full of surprises.

"Naruto."

The boy broke from his trance, the tails slowly receding back into him, the aura disappearing. He was emotionless, his face blank, his voice monotone as he spoke, slowly. "I take it you are the new Hokage?"

"Yes… and I found you. What is it?"

Naruto reached into his pants and pulled out a scroll, unsealing a large scroll and giving it to Jiraiya. "There's my report. That is all…. Leave."

"Wait… do you want to talk about it?" The man inquired, trying to be supportive.

"**LEAVE!**" The boy's voice had become demonic, as he released a green tail again, holding Kie before him like it would judge the course of his life.

Jiraiya, seeing no reason to anger the boy, turned on his heel and left. Calling behind him, he said words which would echo in Naruto's head for a long time. "You cannot live in the past. It is okay to grieve for people, but move forward… it's never too late to live your life."

(1 month later)

The village was repairing quickly. A flood of supplies from Suna, in exchange for access to missions to improve its economy, helped along the construction. In addition, this allowed many on-duty ninja to move to off-duty and help with rebuilding the village. Sure, this weakened Konoha for a short time, but with all the ninja in the village, no one would dare attack. However, this did mean that not other village had Konoha as a threat for a short while. The Cloud and Rock allied, and took over the Sound village and its territory, splitting it between themselves and using the ninja residing there to help create a new village spawned from them, the Dust village. Konoha ninjas on recon missions, found evidence of Cloud, Rock, and Dust building up their forces in preparation for a war it seemed, and Cloud, though at a loss because of the lack of its Yondaime Raikage, appointed its Godaime, a woman who was formerly known as the Lightning Witch.

After two weeks, Jiraiya set out to find Tsunade and bring her back, but came back a week later without her. Apparently, the woman had outright refused, and poisoned Jiraiya, leaving no trace of herself or her aid, fleeing the town very, very quickly. After recovering, the man had come back and was officially made the new Godaime Hokage, since then having been hit several times by his female assistant for trying to change the dress code to something more scandalous.

Still more troublesome was the fact that Naruto had still not moved from the head of the Sandaime, not even for the man's funeral, and was occasionally sending out pulses of green energy so large that they created earthquakes, slowing the progress on some buildings closer to the rock face. However, the most troubling issue was the fact that one Sasuke Uchiha had been healing in the hospital, and because of his sealed away sharingan and power, the raven-haired boy had gone insane and escaped, heading in the direction of the Dust village. Several genin a newly appointed chuunin, Nara Shikamaru, and soon after the sand siblings, were sent to retrieve him. However, from the descriptions the squad gave when they came back, they were all defeated by either the man who apparently grew bones from himself to use as weapons, a Kaguya, or by Sasuke himself who unlocked his sharingan in combat and gained a new kind of cursed seal, removing the old one, from the bone man. All of them came back in critical conditions, but it had been a week since then and a few of them were up again. The genin that were sent: Kiba, Neji, Shino, Lee, and Chouji were all awake again, but the sand siblings and Shikamaru were still unconscious, though Gaara was likely unconscious for a different reason.

It was at the one month checkpoint that Jiraiya finally relented and told Tenten and Hinata where Naruto was, and brought them to him, then left as to avoid the conflict likely to follow.

Hinata and Tenten decided they needed to pull Naruto out of his trance, though his fearsome aura was giving them second thoughts. Naruto sat, completely nude, atop the stone Sandaime's head, Kie before him, and 4 green tails swishing around behind him. If it had been any other situation, the two girls would have been ogling him, but the tails and the hole in the right side of his chest drew their attention. Slowly, they both approached the boy, getting within five feet of him before a pulse of energy was released. The pulse went right through them, but caused an earthquake so powerful that they were thrown to the ground. Nodding to each other, Hinata and Tenten tensed, then crawled over to Naruto, each wrapping an arm around one of his. Slowly, his eyes opened, showing blue irises with four kanji for 'seal' in each eye, all of them black. He said nothing, though his eyes began to light up, until each symbol was alight with white faire, making his eyes look like stars. Standing, Naruto lifted both girls up with himself, and simply looked out over the village. After an hour of this, the girls were about to do something, except that Naruto finally spoke.

"Why is there pain?"

Neither girl answered, but just looked at him with worry in their eyes.

"Why is there pain, and why do people suffer… what is the reason for life, and for death. My sister… my grandfather, friends, even distant, so many died, and still so many lived. I want no more death, but I know I cannot stop it, the best I can do is to protect others… from what I can stop. To live in the past is to throw away the chance to save others' lives…."

Naruto then went silent, and sat down again, naked as the day he was born. He did not mourn the death of friends and family, he did not dwell on such things for very long, and this made the girls both happy that he was okay, and disturbed by his attitude.

At the same time, both girls hugged him, and whispered into either ear. "We're here for you."

Naruto just nodded, then spoke the last words they would hear from him in a long time. "And I intend to keep you."

The next morning, Naruto was gone. He had taken all of the Sandaime's scrolls that he hadn't yet used, as well as some scrolls of the Yondaime that a member of the council gave him, and left the village by use of a still not repaired hole in the wall, at what camera showed to be about 3 AM. On the wall was a message to all the people of Konoha, which gave them only a clue.

'The Will of Fire lives on. I liberate you.'

From that moment on, the people of Konoha only heard rumors of what the boy was doing, but he gained his reputation as the 'Symbol God of Konoha'.

End Chapter.

Sorry this is so short, but I needed a lead in to the next part, I have had a crap load of work lately, and I had a writer's block, trying to figure out how I would introduce the next time skip. Don't worry, the next chapter is already half written, please be patient with me!


	19. Chapter 19

Seals of Fate

Hey all. Trying to recover from the failure that is my writer's block. Fortunately that was solved by reading other fanfics. The vote for people in the harem is open. So far, those that won are: Tenten, Temari and Hinata. I have gotten several requests for Anko, Ino, Hana, and even a few for Sakura. Keep posting your choices! Keep reading and reviewing guys, I will happily take suggestions, and I hope you enjoy the chapter.

A/N: OMG people sorry. Honestly, I have the worse case of insomnia ever! The fact that she was dead slipped my mind, I can't believe I DID that. Seriously, read this again, I did it wrong…

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its contents. If I did, Chouji would be publicly banned from all farms… cows are tasty.

Chapter 19: The Great Return (edited)

It had been five years since Naruto left. Hinata, Tenten, and Temari who arrived just a year ago were all living in the Namikaze compound, given to them just after Naruto left as it was his birthright. Using some blood from his medical files, they got into the compound easily, and after completing a ritual vowing their loyalty to Naruto, they were able to enter the buildings without unlocking the blood seal. Since Naruto had left, all three of them had become jounin, but not all were in particularly good positions.

Hinata was branded with the caged bird seal just two months after Naruto left, and was to be married to him after he returned, though still relatively a slave of the Hyuuga clan. She was abused by her younger sister on occasion, who had inherited Hinata's father Hiashi's behaviors, now acting as if she had a gigantic stick up her butt. Neji, on the other hand, was quite sympathetic, and with his and Kurenai's help, Hinata became a jounin just last year, with her own version of the Hyuuga style. Involving some of Naruto's moves, her style was more fluid, and had several moves to work against other Hyuugas. Neji used a variation of the Hyuuga style as well, a more stiff style similar to the Uchiha's which, along with his speed, could counter even Lee's strong fist in pure power. Hinata, now 18, and nearly 19, was aching for Naruto's return, knowing that he would have to come back sometime, and with the current political scene, it would likely be pretty soon.

Tenten was a member of ANBU, her weapon making her almost as fearsome as Aliera had been, because of its unlocked ability to steal souls. Her prowess allowed her the recommendation for Jounin early on, just two years ago, and from there she became a member of the hunter-nin division of ANBU, often taking missions to execute targets further away, with the hope of running into Naruto. Tenten had also expanded her style to include not just her kenjutsu, but also the use of needles, and medical jutsu which made her excellent for quickly paralyzing a foe. She gained her reputation as the 'Second Soulstealer'

Temari had not shared too much of what happened in Suna, since Tenten and Temari already knew, but Temari was just happy to be in Konoha. For the two years before she arrived in Konoha, Temari acted as Suna's ambassador to other countries, and because of this she saw most of what was happening around the other villages. Both Cloud and Rock had been building up their forces, and unfortunately, just last week, had begun positioning them in preparation for an attack. They looked to small villages around them for economic support in exchange for protection, and their forces were now at least three times the size of Suna and Konoha's combined. Water country remained neutral in the conflict, with war on the horizon, but for the past few years had supplied Konoha, until cutting off the abundance and just reading normally just a week earlier. Making jounin, Temari quit her job as Ambassador and came to Konoha to see Naruto, hoping he had returned. She was very proficient with her wind attacks, and could have made jounin earlier if she'd been able, but instead had to focus on work and training.

Temari, Tenten, and Hinata were all sitting in a tea shop in Konoha, discussing politics. However, the topic soon shifted to what they'd heard recently about Naruto. Though, they didn't call him that much in public anymore since he wasn't around, instead referring to him by his nickname, one feared in all elemental countries except Konoha, the 'Symbol God', or SG for short.

"So, anyone heard any news since last week?" Tenten asked casually. She was wearing a long purple silk chinese dress, and had her hair hanging down over it, and over the back of the chair. It reached her mid back, soft and silky, shining with the rays of light that bounced off it, making a glowing effect.

"No…" Hinata whispered. She was wearing a medium blue, long-sleeved shirt with her black jounin vest over it, and black ninja pants. She was also wearing more casual blue sandals, and had a kunai holder on her right thigh, strapped on with white bandages. One her left hip she had an equipment pouch, but really she looked like a standard jounin, just much prettier. Her hair was dark blue and reached down to just an inch or two above her rear. She still wore her forehead protector around her neck, but also wore a light blue bandana at her forehead, in order to cover the caged bird seal. The light reflecting off her hair and the bounce of her breasts, now a D-cup, was enough to make any man drool. She was stunning.

Moments later Temari spoke up. "Yes, I have." She still wore her hair in ponytails, but now she had just one, and her hair still hung down around it slightly. She also no longer wore battle dresses, not liking to accidentally flash her opponents whenever she used one of her stronger wind jutsus. She was currently the best wind user in Konoha, having come from Wind country, and she helped a few other ninja out with theirs. Once, using a tornado-like attack, she accidentally blew her dress up and flashed the person she was trying to help. Now, she wore light blue faded jeans, a black T-shirt, and a tan jounin vest over it. She had her equipment and kunai holders in the same place as Hinata, as well as a seal on her left wrist that held her battle fan, a newer one which was black, but with golden dust lining the top, making it sharp so as to cut people when she whacked them with it. Also, it now had a different pattern on it, two ravenous weasels circling each other, one tan, one red.

Hinata eyed Temari, waiting for her to continue, while Tenten said "What? Tell us!"

Temari chuckled slightly, then continued. "Well… you know how the war is coming? Apparently Rock and the other small villages have decided to back Cloud and the spawned village, Dust, if the decide to go to war."

Tenten and Hinata cringed slightly at this, but nodded. Temari continued in a low voice, so that only they could hear. "Well, yesterday the Tsuchikage was murdered… disintegrated… He was there, their ANBU followed him out of the country, he was heading in the direction of Konoha. Of course, you already know their Tsuchikage was just a figurehead, his son really being in control. He was already announced the new Kage, their Yondaime, so of course now they're gonna wait and see if he did come to Konoha."

"How do you know this?" Hinata said, a quizzical look on her face. She always wondered how Temari got her information without going to Jiraiya. Except….

"Jiraiya of course. I had to pay the usual price though." Tenten and Hinata cringed. Each of them had once asked Jiraiya for information on Naruto, as he had encountered their blond fiance a few times during their travels. Tenten and Hinata had both asked for information, saying they didn't care what the cost was. The result was they had to kiss each other, then describe what it felt like. Of course, normally they would've hit him, but he reminded them of something Naruto had once said. _'I never go back on my word, that's my nindo.'_

The two agreed to never ask Jiraiya for information again, but Temari spoke up when she saw their disgusted look. "I just described 'What I want to do to Naruto' Vol 1."

They all had blushes on their faces. They had decided that After Hinata got her first shot at the man, they all wanted to try to get him together, and began coming up with ideas. They had created three whole novels, each over 100 pages long, describing with imagery what they would do. Needless to say, these volumes put Jiraiya's novels to shame. Three sex-starved women with dreams of a particularly god-like male tended to come up with rather hot scenes, their favorite of which being the one where he 'punishes' each of them.

"Don't do that, we don't want him getting any ideas about us." Tenten said slightly disapprovingly.

"As long as you don't tell him about volume 2 chapter 4, we're probably fine." Hinata said quietly. All three of them looked around uneasily, then returned to talking about Naruto and politics.

(Elsewhere, just outside of the border to fire country)

A man with long blond hair, in a pony tail reaching to just below his shoulder blades, stood in front of the bodies of three Rock ANBU. Pulling his sword from a corpse, he brushed off the feeling he got whenever he took not just a life, but a soul. Usually he didn't have to resort to using his sword, but he had been chased by at least five full squads of ANBU, and these last three were no pushovers.

Wiping the blade of his sword, the blond put his sword on his back, attacking it with Chakra. He was wearing a tee shirt, the sleeves ripped off, and a brown trench coat over it which nipped at his ankles. He also wore ANBU pants, which he'd stolen off one of the ANBU who was nearly his height, about 6'2", and had two fingerless gloves, each with a small hole in the palm. They were specially made, composing of a steel and iron mesh, painted black, with hard bio-leather on the outside, stronger than leather but easier to form to one's hands. On his backhand, the gloves had two strips of leather, one bearing the symbol of the Shiki Fuujin, the other bearing the symbol of a nine-tailed fox.

Deciding to check his supplies, the man opened his coat, which was revealed to be covered with seals on the inside. Though no one could see it, it had a strengthening seal in the middle of its back, that made the trench coat seem akin to adamantine, a combination metal with was so strong, it was as if the boy was wearing three suits of titanium armor, however the seal did not increase the weight. Searching around, the man pumped some chakra into a seal, and out popped a food pill, which the boy ate. Taking off his blank forehead protector, the man took out a kunai, popping into his hand from a seal on his palm, and carved the Konoha leaf into the protector with ease, looking as perfect as the day he'd removed it to begin with. Looking at it, the man began to reminisce over what he'd accomplished these past five years.

(Flashback no Jutsu) (A/N: Long Flashback)

He'd just left Konoha behind, intent on becoming the strongest Shinobi possible, so that when he returned he could claim his title as Hokage and help it become a better place. The first place he intended to go was to the far south end of Fire country. He removed the symbol from his headband, getting a blank one, so as to avoid being attacked, just being named a homeless ninja. Spending 12 hours a day training, 4 hours traveling, and 8 hours sleeping per day, along with not having a map, it took the better part of a year to find the place he was looking for. By that time, the blond was at Kage level, and was known as the Symbol God of Konoha, for having killed many Rock nin on the border as they tried to sneak in with nothing more than exploding and power-absorption seals. He had also memorized and mastered all his family jutsus, including Hiraishin and his variant of it which allowed him to move freely without the use of kunai to place symbols, as he could do that with his eyes, and the Rasengan, as well as a few other moves. He had just begun working on the other Jutsu he'd brought with him, the ones from the Sandaime Hokage's dojo attic, and had begun creating more of his own Jutsus, even though his arsenal was already very large. The blond began his work on what he believed to be the best Jutsu ever to be created, as he continued training his bloodline to try to reach another level.

The blond finally came upon what he'd been looking for, a talking sloth. Moving toward the creature in broad daylight so as to make sure he did not scare the creature, he saw it talking to a small insect it had captured.

"Aren't you a cute little thing? I'd hate to eat you. Oh well, off you go." The sloth then latched onto a branch and began to climb, moving inside the tree to rest. The blond followed the sloth, jumping up in a single bound to where it had disappeared. Leaning down and examining the whole, the blond ninja said "May I speak with you a moment?"

"Who're you?" Came the earthly voice from within.

"Namikaze Naruto."

"Uh huh. Well, Naruto, what do you want?" The creature said 'want' in a nasty manner, but Naruto brushed it off.

"Your help, your friendship, and to help you in return. I want to be your clan's summoner. I know you are a small clan, but I need help, in the art of sealing."

The sloth emerged, curiosity overwhelming as the subject of sealing came up. Looking to the boy, the sloth saw his eyes, they looked like the Sloth boss's. Seeing that he was serious, and that Folivora would be furious if a potential candidate was turned away, the sloth nodded. Reaching forward, he grabbed Naruto's hand, then laid a seal on the ground which Naruto recognized as a location shift seal. They both appeared before a giant tree, nearly the size of the Hokage monument itself, and looking up Naruto saw the biggest sloth he'd ever seen in his life. He was further surprised when it spoke to him, in a woman's voice.

"Ah, nice to see you Vladimir. And I see you brought a guest… who is this?"

"Namikaze Naruto, my queen." The sloth named Vladimir responded.

Naruto smiled, and bowed deeply to the queen. "I am Naruto. I request to be the summoner for the Sloth clan, I need your sealing abilities to help my own."

Folivora reached down and peered into Naruto's eyes, seeing them, quite surprisingly, the same as her own, only in her lowest form, having only four kanji in each, instead of her eyes which eventually formed 50 spiraling kanji for seal in each eye, which rotated. Deciding to test the boy's power, Folivora activated her four in each eye, and projected a seal at him.

Naruto, seeing her eyes activate, activated his own. He'd expected a trial. Releasing the seal that Folivora had tried to project onto him, Naruto attempted to project an exploding seal onto her. She simply waved it away, it disappearing before it could even reach her. This continued for a short time, before Naruto began to tire. He'd never had to counter and use his sealing power at the same time before, and having to do so when the seal projections traveled at nearly the speed of light, made combat like this nearly un-winnable. Naruto unlocked a 5th kanji for seal in each eye after a few more seconds of combat, making a pattern with four in a square shape and one in the middle, all burning white. Folivora upped her form to 10 spiraling seals, and began getting hits on Naruto, using under-powered exploding seals. Upping her form to 20, then 30, Naruto began to feel the pain. She reached 40, the kanji rushing to her eyes as she began projecting at the speed of light, then 50 seals. It was like a thousand kunai were thrown in rapid succession all of them with exploding notes on them. The explosions were so rapid they sounded like one, and afterwards Naruto just fell backwards, however his eyes stayed at 5 seals in each.

Naruto awoke 2 months later, his body having been almost completely destroyed. The power stored in Kie during his training helped to keep him alive, and when he finally got up, and healed completely which took another month, Naruto was accepted as the summoner for the sloths. For the next three and a half years, Naruto would reside within the summon realm, seven years passing in the summon realm with Naruto aging normally, and Naruto simply trained with the sloths, eventually learning how he could use ninjutsu, genjutsu, taijutsu, even kenjutsu, medical jutsu by using it in combination with seals. Upon emerging from the realm, Naruto had learned all the jutsu he'd taken from the Hokage's and several he'd invented by combining them with the true art of fuujinjutsu. Of course, Naruto had come out for one day every week to set up traps for Rock ninjas and soon, Cloud ninjas as well, his reputation gaining with his power. Heck, even the disintegration seal had been improved to the point that it could be used in combat, but only in a tailed state. Naruto had been training with Kie for a good three years now, and though slow, the sloths had a few good swordsmen who could help Naruto with his style, but mainly they helped him with his seals. However, at one point, Naruto decided to challenger Folivora to a rematch. He had reached 10 spiraling kanji in each eye, and during his training he had learned to control all nine of the foxes tails, much to its disgust and horror.

(Flashback WITHIN A FLASHBACK!)

Naruto was meditating with Kie, and had reached the 8th tail of control. Reaching deeper into the seal, Naruto reached into his mindscape. Touching the wall and releasing the last tail, he saw the entire room alight with fire. Naruto had to fight the Kyuubi, though it was weakened. With Naruto had 8 tails and Kyuubi at the equivalent of four, Naruto flashed before it, using his Hiraishin variant, and drove Kie into the Kyuubi, removing it souls from his body and giving all of its chakra to himself. There was no more Kyuubi, just Naruto, and his nine tails. Awakening, Naruto saw Kie let out a burst of energy and glow green for a second before dying out to normal again. Naruto now with nine tails swishing around behind himself, went back to meditating. It took four years of meditation time within the realm to gain full control of its power, but Naruto was now essentially the new Kyuubi.

(End inner flashback)

In his fifth year of training, he'd challenged Folivora, but was once again decimated when she reached her 100 eye seals. On the last day of his seven years, Naruto left the realm and returned to the spot in the tree that he'd been in every week for a long time. However, Naruto was not as powerful as he was in the realm, it did not work the same way as Kage Bunshin did, he only got a power boost equal to half of what he had in the realm, making him the master of only five of Kyuubi's tails, and putting his limit at 14 rotating kanji seals in each eye. With the contract in place, and over 2000 techniques under his belt, along with his own ultimate technique, the 'Blossoming Rasengan', Naruto spent his last half year traveling from country to country, village to village, introducing himself to Jiraiya's spy network. Half a before, while setting up traps, he'd run into the man who had given him those wise words that still echoed in the blond's head. "_You cannot live in the past. It is okay to grieve for people, but move forward… it's never too late to live your life._"

The man had simply given Naruto a few tips on where to set the traps, and was quite impressed by Naruto's seal traps, and the fact that they weren't simply explosions, but shrapnel, acid, poison, and other types of explosions, almost guaranteed to send an enemy running without actually killing them. Jiraiya had also told Naruto of the political situation, and after receiving from Naruto a guarantee of allegiance to Konoha, the Hokage turned Sannin gave Naruto the mission to kill the Tsuchikage before his return. Giving the boy a map, he named Naruto a special jounin of Konoha, and pointed out the location of various places for the boy to visit in order to get information on the Kage. He gave Naruto the master password, a line from a poem about a certain perverted toad sage that the man had made up himself.

Naruto thanked Jiraiya greatly, bowing down to the ground as he'd been required to do so for so long to Folivora, Naruto stayed down for a half minute, before returning to work and then the realm. Or well, he was going to, until he turned to Jiraiya and asked: "Why are you here, aren't you the Hokage?"

The Sannin scratched the back of his head before replying "Actually no. I convinced Tsunade, the last of the Sannin to take the job when I uh… convinced her it would be in Konoha's best interest. I'm actually on my way to see my spy network to get information on the Dust Village… your up to date on politics, right?"

Naruto nodded, he'd gathered information from some journals some of the dead ninja had carried, and was aware of the general situation. "Is there any way I can help?"

"Yes… I already said how."

Naruto only nodded, then returned to the summon realm to complete his remaining training. He would need it.

After leaving the realm with no intent of returning for quite a while, Naruto then began his mission of killing the Tsuchikage. Much to Naruto's surprise, the Rock Kage was really more of a figurehead, his son doing most of the work. The man was relatively old, and though well guarded against normal and ninja attacks, he was really no match for a kage level ninja, let alone Naruto who could probably take on Jiraiya and Tsunade combined in their prime. Taking a few months, Naruto planned out his attack, and despite the lookout for anyone with his appearance, managed to get a good enough plan done without being caught.

Taking his position on a house opposite the Hokage's living quarters, Naruto his himself and his chakra signature. Brining his eyes up to 14 kanji each, Naruto let off an unfathomable short burst of chakra, enough to project three disintegration seals onto the guards outside the window. Projecting a Hiraishin seal at the same time, Naruto teleported to the window, and clung with his bare hands to the wall, removing the seal and masking his signature with the camouflage jutsu active. Moving into the building silently, he downed three more ANBU guards with almost no struggle involved, putting wind-infused cutting seals on their necks, which had to be done by touching them, and which cut off their heads quickly. Catching the heads and bodies and placing them on the ground quietly, Naruto moved to the next room.

Applying a seal infused with the darkness element and the wood element, Naruto adjusted it to the composition of the wall, then applied energy in order to phase through the wall. It had been two minutes since he'd entered, and he was getting worried. Taking another 20 seconds, Naruto removed the seals from the other side of the wall, and looked around. The Tsuchikage was resting there, or so he thought. In order to make sure he died, Naruto pulled out Kie, but accidentally let a green pulse slip out. This awoke the kage, who made the 'ram' seal and removed Naruto's cover. Creating rocks from the wall, they began to shoot at Naruto as nearly supersonic speeds. Not ready for the assault, Naruto hid his head in his trench coat, which unfortunately exposed his chest a little. A few pebbles sized rocks went straight through the boy's chest, but were almost instantly healed with just a little fused chakra. Making Kie glow green, Naruto went up to one tail of power, contained entirely within the orb of energy that glowed eerily around him, masking his signature from any outside.

The old Tsuchikage formed a sword made of stone from the wall and began to fight Naruto, who in one fell swoop of his sword cut the Kage's in half, impaling the old man who shrieked from the pain… which blew Naruto's cover completely, having not thought that the fight would be very hard and did not apply a silencing seal to the room.

Two ANBU squads entered the room, which was really very large, like a training dojo with all the weapons lining the walls, though they were probably decorative. The Squads began to fight Naruto, each slowly falling to Naruto's kenjutsu, even if they managed to land a few good hits on him. Naruto did not want to reveal his bet jutsus for these people, especially since he was still trying to keep this fight pretty quiet, and his best jutsus were very destructive. Eventually finish off the ANBU, Naruto turned to see the Tsuchikage finishing seals. A loud rumbling was heard, and a dragon made of earth burst through the ground and floor, pushing so high that it sent Naruto through the roof. _Apparently he's not too concerned about keeping this quiet._

Landing on his feet on top of the tower, the Tsuchikage jumped up as well, as the dragon crumbled, and spoke. "Well well, the Symbol God. Think you can really take me on in my own village surrounded by my element? I may be old, but I'd like to see you try!"

Naruto, eyes spinning, spoke in a fearsome voice, with a demonic twinge, his anxiety gone, happy to have a challenge. "**Bring it!**"

Suddenly, 12 ANBU appeared before him in formation. Beginning their assault, they found themselves confronted by three clones each, all missing swords. The combat began, as both Naruto and the Tsuchikage began their jutsus. The Tsuchikage was making handseals, while Naruto began his 'Blossoming Rasengan', letting out another tail, bringing him up to two. Finishing first, the Tsuchikage called out his technique "Doton: Falling Meteor Swarm no Jutsu!"

Five gigantic rocks, each the size of a house, began to converge on the building, while the kage jumped back as did the ANBU. However, before the ANBU could move out of the way, Naruto completed his technique. "Kinjutsu: Blossoming Rasengan!"

A thousand discs of spinning chakra appeared, raining down through the boulders and encircling the house and the surrounding houses within 200 yards of Naruto, cutting all the ANBU to shreds and removing one of the Tsuchikage's arms and damaging his left leg. What remained was complete destruction. The entire area was leveled, nothing remained except a batter Tsuchikage who emerged from the rubble. That attack took almost a whole tail's worth of Naruto's chakra, but was largely concentrated. With how he'd designed that attack, at five tails Naruto could probably have level half the village, leaving none alive.

The Tsuchikage looked on, impressed but horrified, and dying of blood loss. Naruto began walking toward him, his eyes spinning as a seal formed on his right palm. Using the Hiraishin seal, Naruto teleported directly in front of the Tsuchikage, using his left palm, Naruto touch a seal to the Kage which paralyzed him, then touched the disintegration seal on his right palm to the Tsuchikage's forehead. "Your time is up."

Naruto disintegrated the Kage, then made a dash for the edge of the village, and the trail back to Konoha. Using Hiraishin seals, he was at the village's edge in seconds, and set off, but ANBU were following him. Even with contained tails of chakra, fighting off squads of ANBU was still difficult, especially since they were rock Shinobi and were thus harder to blow apart. After killing off several more squads, Naruto made it to the border, where he nearly ran into what he sensed to be his only active trap remaining on the border. Removing it, Naruto continued on, and soon saw the great gates of Konoha again, for the first time in five years.

(End Flashback)

(At the gates, Dawn)

"Geez, this sucks" A nameless chuunin said, dragging out the word 'sucks' as if it was hard to finish at normal speed. The guard next to him merely shrugged, then came to attention when he saw a figure down the path.

"Hey, pay attention, someone's coming." The two guards looked closely, one of them summoning a monkey who raced out, looking at him then returning silently and stealthily.

"Boss, it's a man. He looks to be about 18 or 19, with blond hair, a trench coat, black gloves and pants, and a sword. It pulsed green when I got close. I swear, if not for the clothes and eyes I'd thought I'd be seeing the Yondaime my father told me about once, he's got pictures of him."

"Thanks, dismissed." Said the Chuunin. The monkey disappeared after grabbing a banana from his master's pouch.

"You know, Konohamaru, we just got this promotion like, a week ago. Maybe we should tell someone that someone is here."

"Moegi, sheesh. Sure, we were rookies at the exam, but we were no pushovers. We can handle this, now lets just wait until he gets here and see if he can enter."

They waited another two minutes, the 13 year old Moegi tapping her foot impatiently, until the man finally reached the gates. He had a Konoha headband, and looked to be slightly battered and dirty. His gloves were weird, the palms having holes in them, and within the billowing trench coat Konohamaru caught a glimpse of what looked like a seal, but he didn't get a very good look. The man arrived in front of them, and rose his face. He was cracking a very small smile, but it seemed forced on his tired face. He spoke in a voice reflecting his condition.

"Namikaze Naruto back from a mission, requesting entry."

This shocked the two, especially since Konohamaru knew his nii-chan had left five years ago. His father said he wouldn't be coming back for a long time. Even though Naruto never spent much time with Konohamaru, he was still important to him, and so when this man, this imposter came into town saying that, Konohamaru felt his rage burn.

"Naruto is gone, and he won't be back for a long time. I suggest that if you wish to live, you stop pretending and get out." Konohamaru said with all the killing intent he could muster as a 13 year old boy, which was actually quite a lot, but felt like nothing to Naruto.

"I am Naruto, and I suggest you take a closer look before you make assumptions." The man said, his smile disappearing. He couldn't turn his eyes back to normal, so he just pointed to his whisker marks. "If you think this is fake, then go ahead, try to dispel it."

"KAI!" Konohamaru yelled, letting out a pulse of chakra. When Naruto was still there, he began to tear up. "Nii-chan!" He yelled as he jumped into his supposed brother's arms.

"Hey Konohamaru-chan. Chuunin already? Moegi too? Well, you've certainly done well for yourselves. Here, I'll catch up with you guys later. For now, I need to see the Hokage."

"Heh, ok nii-chan. Just sign in here and go ahead." The young chuunin said, drying his tears. Naruto signed, then ruffled Konohamaru's hair and left in a flash, creating Hiraishin seals with set de-spawn times of 1/20th of a second, teleporting across the village and into the window of the tower in just under two seconds.

"Hey Hokage-sama, mind if I come in?" Naruto said, as if teleporting around was common and that a Hokage he didn't even know would be perfectly willing. However, Naruto saw that the woman Jiraiya had told him about, Tsunade, was in fact basically covered in paperwork. Stepping into the office, Naruto moved over to her, and found her asleep, a sake bottle in her hand. Shaking her awake, she yelled "SHIZUNE!" and threw the bottle at Naruto's head. However, Naruto dodged it and just stood there, in front of her desk, bowing as the person who was apparently Shizune ran into the room.

"What is it Hokage-sama?" She asked, then seeing the unfamiliar man shot a poisoned needle at him, which simply bounced off the trench coat.

"Whoa, whoa hold it. I'm a Konoha-nin, settle down!"

The woman was unconvinced, and reached for a kunai, saying "How'd you get in then? I certainly didn't let you in here."

Naruto just pointed and said bluntly "Window."

All the two women could think was _Jiraiya… you have a student or something?_ "Do you happen to know Jiraiya?"

"Yeah… came by and saw me, gave me my last mission…"

Tsunade did not like where this was going. "And what was that?"

"Nothing much, killed the Tsuchikage yesterday is all."

Both of the women's mouths dropped, until Tsunade yelled "YOU KILLED A KAGE?!"

Naruto nodded, then tossed the woman a scroll he'd put together while running once he'd passed the fire country border. Being able to project letters with your eyes is very useful.

"That scroll" Naruto said, in the school teacher authoritative voice he hadn't used for years. "contains all that I can or will tell you about my abilities. I'm sure you've heard some stuff from Jiraiya, and the fact that I'm not a special jounin, and I know you know about my bloodline. That scroll contains all that I know about mine, and I expect only your eyes and perhaps Jiraiya's to see it, and it contains all my other skills that I feel the need to report. I know over 2000 jutsus, and I have variations of my father's jutsus, including Hiraishin and an ultimate Rasengan that could level half a village. I also hold the sloth contract. None of that is in there, for a reason. If you need another spot to put me, I suggest it be in the ANBU Demolition division, I like to make things blow up. If you need me for anything else, just send for me at my estate. I am a Namikaze, I don't think you'll have trouble finding it. Oh, by the way, can I borrow a big piece of wood, maybe an ironing board?"

Shizune and Tsunade, though awed by the man, kept their dispositions in check. Shizune gave him a quizzical look, then shrugged. She went over to a closet and pulled out a ironing board, which had probably never been used. Naruto walked over to it, and did a small wind jutsu to blow off all the dust, moving it all into the trash can. Then, projecting six seals and a new type of entwining seal onto it, Naruto hopped on, put some chakra into it, and flew out the window. Tsunade picked up the scroll, looking at it with interest, and began to read it. (A/N: It basically summarized all that I summarized for you in the flashback of epic length.)

Shizune's jaw dropped, then she said quietly to herself "So THAT'S where those things came from…"

(The Namikaze estate)

Naruto settled in, noticing a few battle fans, some pictures of Hinata, Tenten and Temari, and some weapons hanging on the walls of the entry room. Naruto of course had basically nothing with him, all his weapons except Kie having been exhausted, and the last of the supplies in his trench coat having been used on the way back. It had started with 4 years of equipment in it, as he had gotten it and the gloves while with the sloths, but because of the extended time with them, it had just made it. Deciding he needed a bath, Naruto decided he'd rather just go to a public bath house. Teleporting there, Naruto paid and put his clothing in a locker. If anyone was stupid enough to touch it, they would find themselves in a very 'shocking' situation, electro guard seals being placed on them.

Naruto placed a towel around his finer part, which thanks to accelerated growth was now about 8 inches long, and slid into the onsen. Relaxing for the first time in what seemed like forever, Naruto just laid back into the large spring, the steam was pleasant, and all Naruto really needed was a nice long bath. However, this was when Naruto noticed a sign near the onsen which said 'Mixed bath day'.

He suddenly became very nervous as to why that girl at the front desk had been smiling at him and told him to use the middle baths. Apparently, there was a men's side… a women's side… and today, in the middle, was both….

Naruto was about to leave the bath, when he heard a door open. Apparently, some girls didn't mind the mixed bath, and decided to try it. Growing red, Naruto saw two people he really, really did not want to see: Yamanaka Ino and Mitarashi Anko. Now, Ino had never been too bad, she'd liked him, but Anko, Anko was a different matter. Anko had always hung around him when he trained, in the shadows watching. He was nervous, especially since it appeared that in the past five years they'd grown a lot, physically at least. Ino was more gorgeous than ever before and Anko looked exactly the same, as if she didn't age a year... Of course, she was now in her late twenties... Naruto found himself staring and growing hard despite his head telling him to just look away and get out, and leave.

Gaining control of himself, Naruto did as his mind said, and slowly got out, and began to walk out. However, he stopped when he heard a squeal… and slowly turned his head around. "Er… hello?"

Using his enhanced hearing, Naruto heard from across the baths Ino whisper "Oh my God. He's really hot… can't just let him leave, right? C'mon Anko, help me out here, you know you want him too."

Naruto began to walk a little faster, but not too fast for fear of looking scared. _Wow, that's ironic_. However, he stopped when he heard footsteps behind him. Cranking his head around again, he saw Anko was walking towards him, with a slight skip in her step that made her breasts jiggle, even while confined under the towel around her. Naruto tore his eyes up when she approached, and looked her in the eye.

"Hello Mitarashi-san. It's been a while." He said calmly, as if it was completely normal for them to meet in a bath house almost naked.

She studied him for a second, her gaze lingering a little longer than it should have on his private area while scanning his body and face, and then it struck her. The golden hair, the whisker marks, even without his deep blue eyes, he had to be…. "Naruto-kun…"

Ino was now standing next to Anko, having moved to her side in a flash, and examined him as well. "You're right…"

Then something unexpected happened, both of them launched themselves at him, bringing him into a tight group hug. Naruto felt odd, having not really known either of them all that well, but remained confused and let them do their thing. When they finally pulled back, Naruto sighed and walked over to the back, getting into it again and began to wash off. "Well, you coming? I'm here to bathe, I assume that's what you do here."

The two girls looked at each other, then smiled mischievously, and walked over, sliding themselves in. When Naruto was nearly done, he still had to wash his back, and that was when Ino offered to do so.

"Come on, it'll be fine, I promise I won't do anything too naughty" she said in a sweet candy voice.

Naruto was blushing slightly, but responded with "It's okay, I'll do it myself."

Naruto then made a clone, who was going to wash his back, except his concentration was shot by Ino's advances, and the clone was made with no towel on… revealing himself in all his glory. The two girls just let their mouths hang open, in the brief two seconds that they saw it before Naruto noticed what had happened and dispelled it. Bright red, Naruto mumbled "Maybe I should just go."

Halfway out of the bath, Ino grabbed onto Naruto's ankle and stated firmly,. "Naruto, it's nothing to be embarrassed about, you're among friends here. Now sit down and let me wash your back, you aren't going back to your house dirty."

Naruto, surprised by her forceful tone, simply thought _What's the worse that could happen?_ And sat down in the back, his back to her. He felt her begin to massage his back, and let out a soft moan at how good she was at massaging him. He quickly put his hand over his mouth, but Ino whispered in his ear "It's okay, I'm good at massaging, I'm a kunoichi after all."

Meanwhile, Anko was scheming. Sure, she hadn't been very nice to him when she'd seen him training, occasionally 'helping out' with her snakes, but she respected him now, and felt she at least deserved a fair chance at the boy. Deciding to try to take that chance, she went for the direct approach. She moved up in front of him, his eyes closed from the feeling of Ino rubbing and scrubbing his back, and she leaned forward. Her lips met his, and his eyes shot open. When he saw who it was, he didn't pull back, but didn't return the kiss. When she broke away, he muttered "What was that for?" but not in a disappointed way.

"Nothing" She said teasingly. Twirling one of her bangs around her right pointer finger.

Naruto was sweating bullets now. _That was Weird_. "Um, Ino-chan, Anko-san… I think I have to leave now…" He got up slowly, then walked out the door and back into the locker room. He put on his clothes, and decided to check out the town, get some supplies, and look for his fiances. Back in the bath, Ino and Anko were already thinking of ways to get in with him as well. They'd both heard great things about him, and since they'd been training together, their corrupt minds were really focused on only one thing, his member. Without Sasuke around for Ino, he was the hottest available guy around. Lee had met a civilian girl who simply loved him for his 'youth', Chouji had gotten together with Ayame, Neji was scheduled to be married to someone else in his clan, Shino had met a boy from a similar clan that was visiting Konoha and gotten together, the gay couple actually being rather pleasant now that they were no longer all quiet and creepy, Shikamaru was something of a lost cause, not that Ino hadn't tried, and she had tried going out with Kiba, and there was something there, but he was a bit too pervy for her. As for Anko, her reputation made it hard for any man to get close to her, even if they'd wanted to. And so they began their plan to try to get in with Naruto, a handsome, young, powerful in all definitions of the word, rich, and with a great personality.

It was this very Naruto who was sitting around on buildings, looking for any one of his fiances, and this is when he saw them, all three of them, sitting in a tea shop apparently talking about the coming war and himself, and something called 'What I Want To Do To Naruto: Volume 1.'.

(A/N: Like how I looped that around, don't cha?)

Leaping down, Naruto casually walked up to the table of three very, very stunning women, and pulled up a chair, sitting down, placing his elbows on the table, his sword strapped to the back of the chair, and said, to their awed faces. "Hi."

They went nuts.

End Chapter

Well, that was a doozy, wasn't it? I summarized everything and brought it all around to the beginning again. Interesting, no? Well, please post reviews, and vote on who you want to be in the Harem. Pick anyone you want who could possibly be in it. Remember, there is only one slot open. Now, go review!


	20. Chapter 20

Seals of Fate

Hey all. Thanks for the reviews, and sorry for the mistake. It was fixed, but it took me a while to figure out all the problems. Anyway, all better now. For reference, important people that are dead: Sandaime, Aliera, Orochimaru, Kabuto, Sakura, Sai, Yondaime Raikage, the Sound Four. Also, Sasuke is missing, presumed in the Dust Village, and Jiraiya is the Hokage. Naruto has just returned from his 5 year trip. Naruto, Hinata, and Tenten are 18, Temari is 19. Lemon in this chapter.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its contents. If I did, Shizune would be a lesbian. (Seriously, how can she NOT be.)

Chapter 20: New and Old.

Naruto had just dropped in on Hinata, Temari, and Tenten all sitting in a tea shop, talking about him and the naughty things they planned on doing to him when he returned. Of course, for the past five years, Naruto had never once sent word of his status to any of them, rarely leaving the realm of summons. Thus, when he jumped down, he expected a far different reaction. In his version, they would all see him, shed a few tears, and hug him, telling him never to leave again….

"YOU LEAVE FOR FIVE YEARS, SEND NO WORD BACK TO US, AND ALL YOU HAVE TO SAY IS 'HI'?!"

He was on the ground a moment later, having been hit by three very angry women, and three large lumps began forming on his head. Deciding they probably wouldn't hit him if he stayed down, Naruto just lay there. However, he was wrong.

"How DARE you come back like that! No gifts, no apologies, you expect us to just jump at you or something?!" The three angered kunoichi yelled in unison. They, of course, were all not that angry at him, but they were caught up in the moment. Even Hinata, who was usually the group's softie, was joining in, and an angered Hinata is never a good thing for anyone. As they yelled this, they began kicking him around, then after a minute or two, returned to their table, sat down, and waited for their fiance to respond.

Inside Naruto's head, all he could think was _stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid_. Slowly rising to his feet, he channeled a little of his now green tailed chakra into various parts of his body, healing instantly. Walking over to the table, he grabbed a chair, and sat down, then looked at all of them. Temari still looked angry, as did Tenten, and Hinata was doing her best to look angry but she just couldn't hold the façade.

Hinata threw herself into his arms, hugging him and sitting on his lap, then reaching up and giving him a long deep kiss, lasting over five minutes. Their tongues locked, as it deepened, but they were eventually broken apart from the sound of throats being cleared by more than just the other girls at the table. Naruto shrugged this off, and would've continued, had Hinata not retracted in embarrassment. However, she remained in his lap.

Temari looked at him again, happy to have him back around, but she was really curious. He was wielding Kie, he'd accessed Kyuubi's chakra that easily, and his eyes, instead of 4 seals in them, now had 14 seals in a spiraling pattern in each eye. Tenten, also curious, decided to voice her thoughts in a still brash manner.

"Naruto-kun… Why are your eyes like that?"

Before he could give a response, Temari interrupted. "Look, you know we still love you, but buddy, you have a lot of explaining to do." The other two kunoichi nodded in agreement, and Naruto just sighed.

They followed him back to the house, and he led them into the living room, now decorated with the three girls' stuff, not that Naruto minded. "This is gonna take a while… so get comfortable." And with that, Naruto began his nine hour long explanation of his travels, and by the end, they all were slack-jawed, and tired. However, Hinata was not tired from the story, she was tired from waiting. Several times during the conversation, both Temari and Tenten had used signs they'd picked up from Hinata, who was now in ANBU, to tell her to get him tonight, so they could have their turns. They certainly weren't pressuring her, she was just as eager as they, but she wanted him in the best shape possible for doing so, and thus the three of them would plan for her to get him tomorrow night, by any means necessary.

After the long story, all of them felt it was just time to go to bed, and after giving each of them a kiss, Naruto retreated to the master bedroom, his bedroom, and fell into a sweet, dreamless sleep.

(Next morning)

Naruto woke up later than usual, around 10 AM. Given that he'd been getting up at 6 AM every day for the past five years, Naruto was rather surprised that it was so late, and suspected maybe his fiances had put something in his food last night so that they could sneak off in the morning. However, he doubted it since foreign substances rarely, if ever, affected him. No, Naruto was not worried, he'd just had a rough day before, and decided it would be best if he saw the Hokage as soon as possible.

Undressing, Naruto went into the large walk-in bathroom situated in the master bedroom, and took a shower, a long one in order to clear his head. To get the water to the proper temperature quickly, Naruto used a heat-adjustment seal on his body, one of his more useful inventions, the seal appearing then quickly disappearing once again. After the shower, he stepped out into his room, and to his surprise, pancakes and the rest of breakfast were sitting on a table in the room. Next to the plates was a note from Hinata that simply said:

_Naruto-kun,_

_We are all going shopping today for… things… so we made you breakfast before we left. Be sure to be back early tonight, we'll see you later._

_-Hinata, Tenten, Temari_

Naruto was happy to get his breakfast made for him for once. Last night had been startling. Eating meat cooked over the fire for a long time can get repetitive, but by no means bad, except when compared to an actual dinner. Last night, for the first time in many years, he'd eaten ramen… the food of gods. Naruto had always loved ramen, and went to Ichiraku's at least once a week, eating at least ten bowls each visit. Of course, the girls knew this, and sent out for some, Naruto being surprised when some genin delivered it. Apparently it was a D-rank mission to bring food to the Namikaze estate, and with the fortune Naruto had, the tip the genin got was their pay. Needless to say, they were well rewarded by the ramen-hungry blond. All conversation stopped when he began eating, five minutes later having eaten all 12 bowls he'd ordered, and eyeing some of Temari's, as she had ordered three.

Now, after eating the pancakes with syrup and butter, a muffin, some fruit, and downing a few glasses of orange juice, Naruto let out a satisfied sigh, and noticed he was still naked. Slightly embarrassed, but happy no one was around, he looked for his clothes, which had changed some in the past few years. Naruto was now wearing a black shirt, loose, with a blue spiral on the front, his clan symbol. Over this he wore a white jacket, the sleeves tattered at his elbows, torn off so that he could easily reach some of the various seal releases he'd placed on himself. It also had a red spiral symbol on the back. The jacket was similar to his trench coat, only needing fewer seals, as this jacket was meant for combat, whereas the trench coat was meant for long journeys. Having filled all the seals in it the night before, Naruto simply picked it up, activated his usual gravity seals, and pumped chakra into the jacket to make it denser, like his usual 3 layers of armor. Having added the elemental resistance seal, Naruto was also immune to most low-level elemental jutsu, his jacket being able to cancel them out. Putting on two of his three combat belts, each with seals on them with various functions, Naruto used one to attach Kie to his back, choosing not to bother to stick it there with chakra. Then, putting on his standard black ninja pants, which were actually more like shorts, tattered just below the knees to not get in the way of his combat style, Naruto was about ready to set off. Then, he remembered something. Grabbing a familiar bronze chain off of the night table, he wrapped it around his left arm. The chain links changed from an inch long each to half an inch each, and the chain grew by another foot. Despite not being really attached, the chain stayed where it was, giving off a dull golden glow, barely noticeable. Naruto just thought to himself '_right, can't leave without that_'.

Putting his hair into a ponytail and checking over all his equipment again, Naruto was sure he had everything, and leapt off in the direction of the Hokage tower. Arriving in seconds, thanks to Hiraishin timed seals, Naruto walked inside. Seeing the secretary, Naruto almost fainted. Ino Yamanaka, wearing a tight white T-shirt with a chuunin vest over it and a pair of jeans, was sitting behind the desk flipping a kunai to herself. Her eyes were closed, and she seemed to be lost in thought. However, whatever she was thinking about must have been either naughty, or the room was cold, because her nipples were erect, both her considerable breasts stretching against the fabric, as if they were trying to escape, or draw others in…

Naruto, ignoring her obvious assets with the help of some naughty thoughts of his fiances, walked up to the desk. Standing there, he rang the little bell on her table to get her attention, and hilarious results ensued.

"Oh, Naruto-kun, please, right there" She moaned, right before he struck the bell. She sat up abruptly, and shouted "I'm not asleep!" to seemingly no one, before taking in her surroundings. Seeing him, she almost blushed, but then decided to try something Anko had talked to her about once.

"Naruto-kun" she said seductively, licking the kunai in her hand. "Wanna guess what I was dreaming about? I'd be happy to show you…"

Naruto thought more naughty thoughts of his fiances to get his mind off her, and replied calmly "Sorry Ino-chan, but dreams like that don't become reality. Now, is the Hokage busy, or can I go in?"

Ino was just about to tell him the Hokage wasn't there, except for the fact that the woman showed up just behind him. Tapping Naruto on the shoulder, the blond-haired woman looked over the blond's shoulder at his pants, then grinned lecherously before stepping into her office, inviting Naruto in. A kunai nearly hit the Hokage, but she dodged, wondering what could have made her second assistant act that way, but brushing it off.

Sitting down at her desk, Tsunade looked at the man who stood before her, then spoke. "Naruto, I read the report you gave me about you, so I am aware of your abilities, or at least most of them. I also know about your dream… to become Hokage. What I am about to offer you is to remain top secret until the time that I decide the public must know."

Placing a silencing seal around the office, Tsunade continued. "Naruto, I offer you the position of the Rokudaime Hokage, on one condition."

Naruto was ecstatic, he didn't think such a thing could ever happen so soon. A Hokage at just 18 years old, what more could he have wanted? "What's the condition?"

"Every Hokage before you has taken a genin team to lead, or an apprentice, until their students became at least chuunin. The Yondaime even led his team until they were jounin. What you must do, as a condition of gaining this position, is to lead a genin team until they all become chuunin. Now, with the coming war, our rate of getting ninja from the academy to chuunin level is going to have to increase, and that should speed up the process, but the village may also need you on the front lines. I will leave it in my will of stead that if I die, you will be the Hokage, but until that happens, you will need to lead a team. The next round of academy students are set to graduate in a week… so in 6 days come meet me and the other jounin senseis at the lounge. Also, as of right now, you are a jounin."

Tossing the blond haired man a jounin vest, which she'd produced from a drawer of the desk, Tsunade then turned to the window, to say the last she needed to. "Namizkaze Uzumaki Naruto, successor to Hokage, do you accept this, and will you lead as a member of Konoha?"

"I will" was all Naruto had to say.

"Dismissed" Tsunade stated quietly. However, in her head, a party was going on. _First I'm forced into this job, then they give me a secretary who takes after Anko, then they give me everlasting paperwork. When Naruto is Hokage and I'm free from this ghastly vocation, I'm going to go to every bar in Fire Country and finally get some sake and gambling action_. Naruto disappeared, and Tsunade pulled out a bottle of store-bought Sake. It was the only stuff she'd been able to sneak in since Shizune was watching her. Giggling like a schoolgirl, she enjoyed what little she could get… that is, until Ino came in with paperwork. She grumbled, then went back to work. It was gonna be a long day.

(Elsewhere)

Naruto was wandering. Having put on his jounin vest, he decided he'd just check out the village, and see how much it had changed. The village was completely repaired from the invasion oh so long ago, and new buildings were up. The civilian population was still pleasant, and Naruto was happy about this, but decided to get away from the crowds. Jumping out of the main market, he followed a side road, and soon found himself in front of the academy. With a pang of grief, he remembered when he'd first met Aliera there, again, so long ago, and a pulse of green chakra was released from Kie, as if in response to the memory. Walking in, he saw Aliera's replacement, a chuunin whom Naruto didn't know, but she was pretty enough. She had a sword too, a plain katana leaning in the same place Aliera had had hers. It was a weekday, and the academy was in session, so of course Naruto wanted to visit, but he didn't want to disturb the woman.

Quietly knocking on Iruka's door, a door that he would now almost need to duck for with his massive 6'2" frame, the door was soon opened. Iruka looked up at the man before him, and seeing Kie pulsing gently, instantly knew who it was. "Naruto!" the man said enthusiastically, before embracing him. Naruto embraced the man as well, then pulled back, saying "I missed seeing you too. It's been a long time."

Inviting the blond in Iruka took his position at the front of the class again, and motioned for Naruto to stand next to him. Complying, Naruto looked out over the ranks of academy students, soon to be genin. Grinning, he thought to himself _'soon some of these will be under my tutelage. Wonder how they'll do… hope they're not as cocky as I was at their age'_.

"Class" Iruka began, almost dramatically. "I would like to introduce to you Namikaze Uzumaki Naruto. He is the son of the Yondaime, and is the true owner of the Namikaze estate."

Naruto was shocked that his heritage was common knowledge, but then, a lot can change in five years. He hid his shock well, and allowed the person he'd looked up to when he was a mere assistant to continue. However, he did not, and motioned for Naruto to speak. Slightly nervous, the blond began.

"Ahem, um, yes that is correct. I would like to stay here with you all to just observe your class, if I may, because this year I will have three of you under my tutelage."

The class looked awed at that, and a little girl raised her hand. "Is it true you're stronger than the Hokage?"

Naruto shifted uncomfortably, but answered nonetheless. "I don't really know, I've never fought her. I know I'm at least Kage level though, so I hope that answers your question."

Another girl raised her hand and called out. "If you're such a strong ninja, then how come we've only ever heard about you. How come we've never seen you before?"

Again, uncomfortable. "For the last five years, I've been out on a training journey. I was only a chuunin when I left, so you probably didn't know about me back then."

This time a boy raised his hand. He looked to be the so-called badass of the class, as many girls had hearts in their eyes when he spoke. "Chuunin are only allowed out on missions, wouldn't you be labeled a missing ninja? And what did you do other than train? No one would voluntarily live in isolation that long."

"Ah, that's where you're wrong. I was not in isolation. In fact, I spent the equivalent of 9 years training, and with a few hundred Kage Bunshin helping per day, I probably got in several life times of training in that time. You see, I spent most of my time within the summoning plane… with these guys."

Biting his thumb, Naruto made five handseals then shouted "Kuchiyose no Jutsu", summoning a two foot tall three-toed sloth, who waved his hand at the class and said "yo".

The class was in awe at the creature, and several of the girls screamed "Kawaii!", before the creature looked to Naruto and said "Nii-san? Why am I here?"

"Felt like it" Naruto responded in a non-committal fashion. "Now, I suggest you go back to the summoning plane before you get glomped." Tossing the creature a kelsch leaf, a leaf which apparently only grew in rock country on the border and were apparently 'good eatin' as the sloths called it, the sloth smiled happily, and began to nibble on it as he poofed away, much to the disappointment of several girls.

"As for why I wasn't labeled a missing-nin, I was on a mission, and you're right, I did more than just train, I'm just not gonna tell you what else I did. Now, any more questions?"

A boy raised his hand. Getting a nod from Naruto, he spoke in a rather exuberant voice "You're the one who makes those hover-board things, right? Could you make us some?"

Naruto smiled, happy that his fame as a seal master had spread a little with the creation of those boards. "Nope, sorry. I can only make them for ANBU use, or for certain others. Plus, you couldn't use it anyway, I doubt you have jounin level chakra."

The boy looked disappointed, but soon brightened up again. Questions continued for a short while, before the lunch bell rang. The students all went outside for lunch, while Naruto and Iruka talked catching up since old times. Soon they returned, and class resumed as usual. Naruto found he liked most of the students, none of them really seeming to have any problems with the class. Some were excelling, others lagging behind a little, but all of them seemed to have a pretty good attitude, even the fangirls. However, this wasn't the only graduating class. With the coming war, another class was going to graduate, and thus Naruto really didn't know who he'd be getting. Staying until class ended, Naruto decided he may as well go home. However, upon leaving the building, he saw a lone boy sitting on a swing, all alone. Walking over to the boy, Naruto saw he was crying.

"Excuse me? I'm sorry, but why are you crying?"

The boy just began to cry harder, then after a few minutes wiped his eyes and looked up. Seeing the Uzumaki spiral, the boy immediately knew who this was, the man who was probably strongest in Konoha.

"I'm.. I'm going to fail again. I can't do anything right, other than knife throwing, I'm from a non-ninja family, I have no one to teach me since everyone is so focused on the prodigies, I can't afford to fail again, but there's nothing I can do!"

"Shhh, it's okay. What's your name?"

"Vlad… Vladimir Taltos…" The boy said, stopping his flow of tears.

Taltos eh? No name clan my ass, they had freaking dragons. I met a few of those on the border, hell of a clan. Too bad Rock wiped them out. He must be the last of them… just like me, the last of a clan. What was it Tsunade said.. I can either take a team, or an apprentice? Hmm… Maybe I should… He can't be that bad, right? And he seems to want to work. Plus, I can't teach fuujinjutsu to an entire team, it would be far too difficult. Plus, If I have one, I can bring him on harder missions, even into the war… that is if his parents allow it.

"Vlad… How would you feel about becoming my apprentice? Of course, you'd have to ask your parents first, but you'd come with me on missions, and I'd train you personally. All you need to do is pass as a genin, and I can help with that. What do you say?"

No one had ever reached out to him like that before, and it was all the boy could do to keep from crying again. Throwing himself at the blond man, he hugged him tight.

"I'll take that as a 'yes'. Meet me here tomorrow after class to tell m your final response. Remember, your parents are gonna have to agree. See you later!" The blond shouted back after jumping into the trees.

All Vlad could think was '_Course my parents will agree, I don't have any! Better get home. Today is a lucky day_'

(Hokage's office)

After another bout of flirting with Ino, Naruto was back in the Hokage's office, discussing whether or not Naruto could take an apprentice.

"Baa-chan, come on. You know I can't teach Fuujinjutsu to more than one person at a time, plus I know his clan techniques pretty well, having seen them used then eventually getting them off a scroll and using some of them myself. Plus, at the age he is, I could take him out to rock country and get him the familiar. He won't get him anywhere else, you know that, and a team would just keep me off the front longer."

These were all valid points of course, but Tsunade was in a bad mood. He'd walked into her office before Ino cleared it for him, and had seen her with her top off, changing at the time since there was a sake stain on that shirt, caused by a wrestling match between her and Shizune for the bottle. Tsunade had won of course, but she accidentally broke the bottle in her hands and drenched herself. So, wanting to get something out of the deal, she decided to allow it, under conditions.

"Vladimir Taltos has no parents, no family at all, and I'm pretty sure you know why. I will allow you to take him as your apprentice under one condition, you have to adopt him, and take care of him until he can take care of himself, which he will be able to do when he reaches chuunin. At that point, I suggest you let him leave to have his own life, and with chuunin pay he could do it."

"Condition accepted. If you give me the apartment number he's in, I'll help him move when he is officially my apprentice."

"That is acceptable." _Just got rid of another big headache of a problem. Good work!_ Tsunade thought to herself.

(That night, 10 PM)

Naruto had come home to a lively house. Hinata, Tenten, and Temari were all talking in the living room, waiting for dinner to cook. Soon, it was on the table, as they all exchanged talk about their day, the main focus being that Naruto would be Hokage pretty soon, and that he was only telling them because he knew they wouldn't tell anyone else, and Naruto's soon to be apprentice / adopted child.

All they could really focus on was "Will he be a cute kid?", "We're gonna have a kid in the house", "It'll even out the genders", and, among the girl's whispers, "We'll all have to get him before the week ends, else we'll have to wait until the kid moves in and when we have time alone with Naruto, without the kid around."

The conversation and dinner soon ended, and Tenten and Temari voluntarily left the house to 'take care' of some things they supposedly had to do, leaving Hinata alone with Naruto.

As soon as Tenten and Temari were out the door, Hinata leapt off her chair at Naruto, who was on the couch. Laying on top of him, straddling his legs, Hinata leaned down and captured his lips in a kiss. Moving her tongue along his lower lip, she begged for entrance, which was soon granted. Tongues wrestling for control, the two began to move against each other. Hinata's left hand was situated on his hard right pectoral, her other hand running through his long blond hair and pulling out his ponytail, allowing it to muss around underneath him. Naruto's left hand found its way underneath the loose white T-shirt she'd been wearing, and began fondling her right breast. His right hand moved its way down her body, eventually settling on her left butt-cheek and squeezing it, causing her to let out a squeal. Rubbing both methodically, Hinata began to moan, while her left hand moved down Naruto's body, eventually settling underneath him, allowing here to press herself to him, unfortunately dislodging his hand. Breaking from the kiss, Hinata leaned down and whispered in his ear: "I've been waiting for this for too long. Let's go get washed up."

Hinata moved off Naruto, then was surprised when Naruto picked her up bridal style, and carried her up to the master bedroom. Once there, he put her down on the bed, then began stripping. Once he was down to nothing, he noticed Hinata hadn't taken off anything. She was just staring at his member, a full six and a half inches limp, likely eight to nine inches when hard. Naruto blushed, but then decided to play the part. Taking a remote from the nightstand, Naruto turned on some music. The last thing he'd had in there was some soft music, that would have worked for the shower. However, what it played was more like the thumping music of a strip joint. Hinata, as if responding, began to do a strip-tease. However, it didn't last thirty seconds, as Naruto flipped off the stereo, tore off the rest of Hinata's clothes, and walked her into the shower, where he flipped on the water which was, thankfully, warm.

"Hinata-hime, I won't have my princess act as a strip-dancer. You want to do that, do it sometime else, tonight is special for both of us, and I want us to be as equals here."

"Still no reason to rip off my clothes, I liked those pants" Hinata said indignantly

"Yeah well, I like them better when they aren't on you" Naruto said with a grin.

The water was cascading off their bodies, shining and giving them an almost angelic glow. Getting a 'fun' idea, Naruto took a washcloth from a rack on the side of the shower, and took an amber soap with lilac scent off the shelf. Scrubbing it a little, the suds began to appear, and took he was eyeing Hinata carefully. She saw this, and nodded, giving him the okay. Moving up to his goddess, Naruto began to clean Hinata, starting with her back. Massaging her, he began to work his way down. When at her rear, he gave were a squeeze, just to tease her, then continued his way down. Reaching her feet, he massaged them for a short while, before working his way back up. Reaching her thighs, Naruto decided to wash her inner thigh, scrubbing softly, inching his way towards her opening, then moving past it, up her stomach and between her breasts. Scrubbing them softly as well, he made sure she was completely clean, then brought her back into the spray of water.

Hinata had just spend the last 10 minutes Naruto had spent cleaning her in absolute heaven. He was kind, gentle, and had soft, though masculine hands which seemed to know exactly how to please her. Getting a similar idea, she proceeded to do the same for him. Getting an amber soap which had a more masculine fragrance, Hinata began to clean him. Working down his back, she massaged him as well, making sure all his joints were loose before continuing down. Reaching his butt, she got an idea and slapped it. Nearly leaping at the sudden pain in one of his butt cheeks, he heard Hinata giggling softly. He soon felt the other one get slapped, and would have glared at her, if she hadn't pressed up behind him, whispering "sorry" into his ear. He was still slightly miffed, but that feeling went away by the time Hinata made her way down the back and up the front again. Reaching his member, Hinata gave it a kiss, then continued upwards. Soon, they were both clean, except for their hair. Hinata took some strawberry scented shampoo, and used that whereas Naruto opted for a non-scented shampoo.

Turning off the shower, they went into separate parts of the bathroom where they dried themselves, and got dressed. Naruto put on a pair of boxers, and left his hair hanging behind himself, then got onto the bed. This is one Hinata started to take control of the show. Dimming the lights, she came out in a purple lace teddy, see through except for around her breasts, and purple panties with a black lace trimming. Her 'secret weapon' or so she called it. Swaying her hips from side to side, she watched Naruto become entranced, mentally yelling _'He's mine now!'_.

**Lemon Starts Here.**

Reaching the bed, Hinata got onto him again. Purring, she straddled his legs once again, and they began to kiss. His hand traveled down her body, while she pressed herself to him, preventing hims from reaching her breasts. One hand on her back, the other on her rear, Naruto began to squeeze it. It was firm of course, she was a kunoichi, and the react that he got from her was well worth doing so. She began to maon into his mouth as they locked lips, the sounds growing louder until she squealed, which is when Naruto realized he'd squeezed too hard. Letting go, Hinata propped herself up, allowing him to reach for her breasts. They were easily D-cups, large and with pink tits. Naruto moved her forward with his right hand, then moved his head down, sucking on her right one while fondling her left. Catching her left tit between his thumb and finger, he twisted it slightly, yielding still louder moans. Taking her teddy off completely, Naruto threw it across the room. With the obstacle removed, he began to suck on her nipple more fervently, yielding still louder moans from Hinata. Her breathing got heavier, and soon she was submissive enough for Naruto to flip her over. Pinning her down, Naruto rested himself on top, and continued to suck until Hinata whispered to him "more."

Teasingly bring his right hand ever so slowly down her body, he began to draw circles with his fingers around her navel, before resting his hand just above her panties. Taking her other breast into his free hand once again, Naruto inched his forefinger into her panties, and drew them downwards. Soon, Naruto was lying next to Hinata, holding them teasingly in his hand. Throwing the pair of panties across the room to join its set, Naruto began to move his head down Hinata's body, well, until Hinata decided to turn the tables. Flipping up quickly, Hinata dragged Naruto back onto the bed. She whispered to him "time for me to make you feel good."

Naruto just responded with "can't wait", and laid down as she told him to. Reaching her fingers into his boxers, Hinata brushed his member, then pulled down slowly, eventually removing his boxers so that he lay before her nude. Moving up, she kissed him, then crawled down his body to his member. Taking it into her hands, she rubbed it slowly, up and down, methodically, rhythmically, and he began moaning. Moving faster, she began to apply a little more pressure, his member becoming fully erect. Deciding that she'd had enough fun with just her hands, Hinata told Naruto to close his eyes. Complying, though wondering what she could be up to, Naruto closed his eyes. He felt something warm close around his penis, then move slowly downwards, enveloping more and more of him. He felt something swishing around his penis, and a sucking power on it that just made him moan louder. Opening his eyes, he saw she had him all the way into her mouth, and into her throat. Moaning still louder, he managed to call out "Hinata" a few times. She increased her pace from the incredibly slow rate she'd been staying at, moving him in and out, faster and faster. When she could feel him throbbing, about to release, she put her mouth over only the tip, making sure she got all of it in her mouth. Well, that's what she'd planned. Instead, Naruto grasped her head, and pushed her down a little.

"I'M CUMMING!" Naruto shouted, loud enough for anyone in the house to hear. Fortunately, there was no one else in the house. As it came out, Hinata swallowed it all. It was thick, and sweet, though a little bitter.

"Naruto… thank you…" Hinata said, happy to have gotten so much out of him.

"Hinata, you're not the only one who waited five years for this."

Naruto grasped her hands, and pulled her up to sit on top of him. Kissing her, he gently flipped her under him, and began planting butterfly kisses on her, trailing his way down to her entrance. Once there, he looked up at her mischievously. Then, spreading her legs, Naruto used his left hand to hold her steady, then inserted a finger of his right hand slowly into her pussy. He could hear Hinata moan as its entrance, and purr. Moving it around, he soon found that little mound of super-sensitive flesh, her clit. Rubbing it softly, Hinata suddenly screamed in pleasure. He soon inserted a second finger, and instead of her clit, he simply began to pump. Her juices were already flowing out of her, soaking his fingers. As she began to move her hips against him, he decided to bring it up to the next level. Leaning down, Naruto pressed his lips to her pussy, then inserted his tongue. Licking her clit, and moving around inside, he began to hum. The vibrations shook her to the core. Her breathing became heavier, and her moans were coming every time she tried to speak. Continuing, Naruto found her soon at her limit, nibbling her clit, she gasped then screamed "NARUTO!" As she had her first orgasm of the night. Lapping up her juices, Naruto moved his way up her body again, and kissed her, letting some of her own juices flow into her mouth. He whispered to her "Are you sure you're ready for this?"

Hinata was unable to speak for a few moments but soon caught her breath. "I love you Naruto, I want you, all of you."

"I love you too, Hinata… I always will." Naruto said back, with a smile. At this, Naruto began rubbing his member against her pussy, not sticking it in, just getting her juices flowing again. Once she was sufficiently wet, Naruto flipped her over. "This should be easier for you."

Hinata nodded her agreement, and began lowering herself onto him. He leaned upwards, and she leaned down so that she was on the head of his dick, but also with her head next to his, her teeth in his shoulder as he was basically splitting her apart. Naruto just began whispering comforting words in her ears, as she lowered herself onto him. When she split, her virginity gone, she would have cried out in pain, had she not been biting down on Naruto. Needless to say, she was biting down pretty hard, hard enough for him to wince, but she was soon used to it and let go.

Naruto took her into a kiss, as he began to pump in and out of her. He started out slow, using the whole length, but then began to pump faster. Not intent on causing himself pain, he never took his dick all the way out, but simply kept pumping. They continued, faster and faster as her pussy tightened around him, sucking him in rather than pushing him out. "Hinata… your pussy.. It's so good!"

"Naruto, I need your dick, I need it inside me, always. Please, keep fucking me, FUCK ME HARDER!" Hinata yelled, bucking her hips against him and increasing the pace. Naruto quickly caught up, and soon he began to feel himself rising, he could feel it. Hinata felt his dick throbbing within her, and she was desperate for his cum, desperate. She latched onto his lips, hoping it would encourage him to go faster. Meanwhile, Naruto brought his hands up to her breasts while he increased his speed, and the slapping of skin on skin became audible. They moaned into each other's mouths, louder with each movement, until Hinata began to climax. The heat, the heavy breathing, his penis so deep into her, all at once and she cried "I'M CUMMING!" and her fluid burst forth, the dams breaking as she had the largest orgasm she though was possible. Seconds later he came as well, his hot semen mixing with her cum, his load giving her the best feeling in the world, as he was filled up inside.

They both collapsed, laying next to each other, breathing heavily. "Hinata-chan… that… was amazing…"

"Naruto-kun…. I… I need… more…"

Naruto, never one to deny someone he loves, though inexperienced, decided to try something he'd seen the Inuzukas doing once, when he passed innocently by a window late at night. Positioning Hinata on her hands and knees, Naruto bent over her, and grabbed her breasts. Fondling them, he felt himself getting harder until he was once again fully erect. However, Hinata had been dreaming about this for a long time, and was nothing if not creative. Seeing the position, she knew what he was going to do, and propped her ass farther up into the air, so that he could reach it easily. Feeling his dick slide into her again, she moaned loudly. "Naruto…. More…"

Taking control, Naruto decided that no, he wouldn't give her more, at least, not until he punished her for trying to order him….

Walking around to the side of her, he slid his legs under her, then put her over his knees. Before she could ask what he was doing, he began to spank her. "Naughty Hinata, You should know better than to try to order around stronger Shinobi."

Alternating cheeks, Naruto continued to spank her, building up speed and strength behind the blows, but instead of the anger he'd expected, she was moaning in pleasure and in pain. Seeing her enjoying it, he decided to whisper to her "Hinata-chan is a naughty girl, isn't she?"

"Yes… Naruto-kun…"

"I didn't hear you…"

"Hinata-chan is a naughty girl"

"And what happens to naughty girls? Naughty girls are punished…"

Hinata was now writhing in pleasure, and Naruto was slowing down, slowing her 'torture'

"Hinata, if you're a bad girl again, I'll be forced to punish you…."

Hinata just moaned, then said "Punish me, Punish Me!"

Taking his hand back, Naruto altered the heat of his hand a little so that it was hotter than normal, and after several more slaps, Hinata's butt was beet red, and she was crying in pleasure and pain. Deciding she'd had enough, Naruto picked her up, and decided to try something different. Pressing his dick into her pussy in a quick jolt, Hinata let out another scream of pleasure, as Naruto brought her back up against a wall. Holding her up, he began to pump into her, harder and faster. Her hands were wrapped around his neck, and she was moaning into his chest.

"Naruto-kun, Naruto-kun, Naruto-kun" She repeated with every thrust, getting louder and harder to understand as she began to half moan, half scream his name. Feeling her pussy tightening around him again, he knew she was nearing her limit. Pulling all the way out, then thrusting in, he felt her cum, and heard her scream again as she released another wave of juices. However, Naruto had not come yet. _'Seeing as how she likes it rough, why not give it to her rough?'_

Throwing her to the floor again, she got down on her hands and knees, and happily rose her butt into the air again. Naruto, not one to delay something like this, leaned over and pushed all the way in again. Reaching over her, he grabbed onto her firm breasts as he began pumping into her. Her amber skin smelled of strawberries, lilacs, sex, and sweat. Her hair trailed down her back still, and taking in the intoxication scent, Naruto increased his speed again. The slapping of skin on skin, moans, grunts, gasps, and soon a yell and scream followed. Unleashing his third load into Hinata's pussy, Hinata came at the same time, filling her up for the second time that night. Both of them, sweating, smelling of sex, were tired form the exertion of each of their first times, but neither wanted to give up the feeling.

Hinata crawled over to Naruto who was lying on the floor face-up, and crouched over his face. Leaning up, he soon began lapping up her juices again, himself soon becoming erect. As soon as he was, Hinata moved over to him and lowered herself onto his nine inch long member. She felt it splitting her once again as she took in his full length, then began bouncing up and down. Her breasts bounced to the rhythm, up and down every second as their rate increased. Naruto began forcing himself upwards as she moved herself down, and soon, every second, his full length was being engulfed by Hinata's tight pussy clamping around him. Moans growing louder than any of the previous 'rounds' of sex, They soon felt both of themselves reaching their peak. At the same time, they screamed each other's names.

"NARUTO!"

"HINATA!"

And both came for the last time that night. Exhausted, they climbed into bed, not bothering with clothing, and fell asleep in each other's arms. It was their first night together like that, and damn they enjoyed it.

**Lemon End** (A/N: I have never written a lemon before… nor have I ever 'made' it that far… so this is basically what I learned from other fanfics… curiosity, and…. Sex-Ed. Lol… did I do well?)

(Next Morning)

Hinata got up awkwardly that morning, to find herself in a sleeping Naruto's arms. Not wanting to leave his warmth, she waited there for a few minutes before he woke up as well. The light coming in from the window seemed to light up his golden hair, and made his eyes sparkle. Along with the chirping of birds, it made a very peaceful morning. It was nearly noon, they'd slept for 12 whole hours. On the table was breakfast for both of them, as well as a pink piece of paper. Reluctantly removing herself from Naruto's arms, she got up and walked, buck-naked, over to the table. Picking up the note, she saw it was addressed to her, and in a jumble of words essentially said: 'When you get this, take your time but meet us at the teashop. We want details. – Tenten and Temari'

Naruto, yawning, got up and walked over. Seeing the paper, he asked what it was, but Hinata just said it was for her. Letting it drop Naruto suggested they eat, and she agreed to do so, but after a quick shower. They were both naked, neither particularly worried about it, and in some kind of silent agreement promised they would talk about what happened last night sometime later… like with the 'punishing' part…

Eating breakfast while Hinata showered, Naruto realized he didn't really have much he had to do that day, so he decided he would go meet with some friends before seeing Vlad and coming back to meet with his fiances… who were sure to have wedding plans, if what Hinata said to herself in the shower when she thought no one was listening was true.

Finishing breakfast, he went off to shower, only to have Hinata walk out. With a mischievous smile, he walked passed her, and gave her a light slap on the butt, which Naruto saw was already healed… probably by some kind of medical jutsu that Hinata knew, since no medical cream worked that fast. She jumped slightly, but then did the same to him, just before he closed the door so that he couldn't retaliate. Grumbling, Naruto made it to the shower, did so, then stepped out to find Hinata fully dressed… with a camera.

Taking a picture of Naruto, without even a towel and not covering anything out of shock, Hinata simply giggled. The polaroid came out of the camera, and she just said with conviction: "Evidence".

Naruto sighed. It was true he had nothing to be ashamed of, but he didn't want a picture like that being thrown around. "Just make sure no one sees that but Temari and Tenten, okay? I don't want to be targeted by more women."

Hinata giggled. "Okay Naruto-kun. I wouldn't want to be a bad girl now would I?" And with that, she walked out of the room, albeit awkwardly, and whether she swayed her hips on purpose or not was up for debate, but Naruto didn't care, he just watched.

From outside the door, Hinata called back in, in a playful tone, "I opened the window to the street once I was done getting dressed. If I were you I'd either close it or get a towel like a normal person."

Naruto turned, and saw that there was indeed a window to the street which could easily be seen through. Deciding Hinata was right, he grabbed a towel from the bathroom and put it on. Unfortunately, one woman, a kunoichi, had seen and was rather interested… I mean, his member WAS clearly visible from the street… it had to be big.

Naruto, after getting dressed and strapping two of his three combat belts, leaving the third one behind, looked basically the same as yesterday, except today he let his hair hang down, and wore a black T-shirt with the Kanji for 'Seal' in white just below the collar on the right side.

Leaving his house with his equipment again, he remembered his chain on the first try, and made his way out into the street. He decided he had to see how well some of his friends had progressed, and since he'd already seen Ino, he decided to go see Shikamaru and Chouji. Arriving at the barabeque place that chouji had always loved, he found him there, with Shikamaru scarfing down food. He'd heard from Jiraiya once that Asuma had died on a mission against a powerful organization known as Akatsuki, and that the organization had gone underground after that, for reasons still unknown. Deciding not to bring up the subject, having remembered the man was dead, Naruto just sat down with them, as if it was the most normal thing in the world. Leaning his sword against the table, he sat down next to Shikamaru, and said, in a friendly way: "Hey guys".

The two looked at him, wondering who exactly he was. Shikamaru got it first, as expected: "Hey Naruto, you look… different… Are those seal belts?"

"Yeah, they were hard to make too, I had to make a few and sell them to a few people on the brief days I spent outside my training zone, and in the months around Rock country. Why, have you heard of them?"

"Yeah, I was told a ninja in Rock country was making them, and to be on high alert seeing them. I'm just gonna guess that it most everyone is not surprised you're the one that made them, huh?"

"I guess not, so what do you know about these things?" Naruto inquired.

"Not much, just what they told us. Only three people own one, those three people being you, Jiraiya, and someone else in Rock country." Shikamaru responded, indifferently.

"Well, you're actually wrong now. I got them all back about a week ago. Jiraiya sent me his, and the one I gave Daikasa I retrieved right before I began the operation I was working on. I don't intend to make anymore if they aren't necessary, the third one is at my home. So, how'd the village been?"

"Getting steadily worse. Our economy has gone down as the daimyo is cutting off some support."

"Yeah, but you're the lead strategist, you have to prepare for this sort of stuff, don't you" Chouji finally chimed in.

"You're the lead strategist eh? Well, they'll probably put me in charge of a squad somewhere if it comes down to it, so make sure you do your job well. I may be possibly the best Shinobi alive at full power, but enough people can take down even the strongest." Naruto said, boasting, but without altering his voice.

"Same old Naruto. So I hear you're taking an apprentice huh?" Chouji asked.

"How'd you know about that?"

Chouji looked smug for a moment before answering. "I'm the other teacher at the academy. I am a jounin, but I switch off with another, alternating morning and afternoon with Kurenai, since she can't go on missions with that baby around."

"Man, a lot has changed" Naruto said, emphasis on the 'has'.

"Yeah" Chouji continued. "Vlad is in my class. I was there this morning, and he was talking about how Namikaze Naruto was gonna train him. The other kids called him liars, but I couldn't do anything, I didn't know if it was true. You should come swing by the class. If they see its real deal, maybe they'll lay off. I'd appreciate it."

Naruto was eyeing Chouji carefully, remembering what Vlad had said the previous day. "Chouji, do yo favor any kids over others?"

Chouji knew this question was coming, and he wasn't proud of what he was doing, but the Hokage had requested it. "Yes, Naruto, I do. We are to get as many children to chuunin rank as possible, so that if war comes, we'll have more skilled shinobi. We are ordered to focus on their strengths, not their all around balance, and kids that show no talent are left behind. I'm not proud that we are doing it that way, but that's what we must do. We also upped the difficulty of the exams, so even the least skilled of graduated has a fighting chance before they become chuunin. We followed orders, okay?"

Surprisingly, Naruto listened to that. It really was the best strategy, even if he didn't like it, and it was the best way of getting more powerful troops. "Chouji, what is the exam now?"

"One solid-type bunshin, one ninjutsu and genjutsu outside the basics, and a taijutsu style completed that isn't in the academy. There have been many chances for all kids to go to classes to learn these styles outside the academy, from clans or other ninja around, but for some reason Vlad never went. He always fights with his sword…. I'll tell you what, I'll count his kenjutsu as another taijutsu style outside basic if you want, but if you want him to pass you got your work cut out for you."

"Chouji, he will learn another style, and all that is needed. I guarantee you, in the 5 days I have him, he'll pass just like the others, like normal." The confidence in Naruto's words is what made it believable, and soon they were heading for the Academy. Lunch had just ended, and the kids in the classroom were making a ruckus, well, until Chouji walked in. He said, in a tiny voice, "quiet", and the room was dead silent. Naruto simply admired how well he'd disciplined them.

Naruto stood beside Chouji, his presence obvious. Chouji gave him the okay, and Naruto addressed the room. "Vladimir Taltos?"

The boy was seated in the far back. His sword was indeed at his side, a rapier from the looks of it. In a voice seemingly too big for what his mouth should've been able to produce, he yelled "HERE!"

Naruto saw shocked looks of students around the room, likely the kids who made fun of him for 'lying'. "Vlad, come with me, we have a lot to do."

The boy got up from his seat. Grabbing his stuff, he followed Naruto out of the room and to the training ground outside. Once out there, Naruto sat him down, and sat in a squat across from him. "Vlad, what do you know about your family?"

"Nothing" The boy replied, surprised by the interest.

"Really… Would you like to know about them?"

The boy nodded yes, not trusting his mouth.

"The Taltos was a clan of the Rock country. Not all that long ago, a few years at most, it was wiped out either by people expecting the coming war, or people who feared their power, or bloodline. My best guess is you were dumped near Konoha to grow up here because someone predicted the coming executions. Your family was extremely powerful, being great earth-jutsu users, and they each had a connection with dragons since they were young. When you turn 12, I will take you to where you can get yours. In case you're wondering how I know, its because some of them were attempting to attack Konoha. I have never killed any of them only disabled, because killing them would be very difficult. To kill a Taltos, you had to slay them and their dragon, and once they were adults this was near impossible for anyone below jounin level. I got some of their jutsus, and learned their ritual, but that's all I know. What I need you to focus on for the next week is getting ready for the exam. I will help all that I can, is this alright?"

Absorbing all the information, the boy nearly fainted, but regained control shortly. "Yes."

"Then let's begin."

Chapter End

Well, how do you like that? If necessary, you could call this the official start of Volume II, and there will be a Volume III section, but they won't really be labeled. You'll notice the changes though. 3 page long Lemon, w00t. Please Review!


	21. Chapter 21

Seals of Fate

Hey all. In case you missed it, I replaced the error message in chapter 20 with an actual chapter, so go read that before you read this, else you will be confused. Thanks for being patient with me, and enjoy the chapter.

Chapter 21: Legacies of the Forgotten Hero

"Vlad, for the first exercise, I want you to fight me. I need to see your strengths and weakness, before I can tell you what to start on first. Now, you better come at me with intent to kill, else you will do nothing."

The boy nodded, and drew his rapier. Going into a stance similar to basic fencing, but with a few modifications, he began a fluid dance of attacks. Lunging at Naruto, he found his strike parried by a kunai, and had two shuriken flying at him. Blocking both with surprising ease, the boy moved in again, only showing his side to Naruto, and taking out a kunai in his back hand. Moving forward again, his feet blurred, as he was quickly in front of Naruto. Spinning himself, Vlad attacked with the kunai, aiming for Naruto's left hip, only to have it parried. Continuing his spin, he struck with his rapier, kunai, rapier, and then kunai again, all attacks blocked before jumping back, panting.

"Well, you're kenjutsu doesn't need much work, at least for now. Come at me, no weapons."

Nodding again, Vlad sheathed his rapier, then got into a flawed basic academy stance. "Uh, kid, do you know any other stances?" Naruto asked, sweat-dropping at the boy's poor stance.

"No…" Vlad said, disappointedly.

"Alright" Naruto sighed. Soon, the boy was charging at him, and Naruto quickly slid his foot under him, tripping him so that he fell down before he could even get in range of the blond.

"Know any jutsus?" Naruto asked, hopeful that he at least knew something. Once again, Vlad shook his head signifying that he did not.

"Okay, Vlad, this is gonna take a lot of work. I only know of one way to get you up to genin level in five days, and it means that neither of us will be sleeping for the next four. First, take off all your clothes except your boxers."

Vlad was a bit uneasy, but did as his teacher asked, well, until he heard the flash of a camera. He turned and saw Naruto holding a polaroid, and yelled the first thing which came to mind. "What are you doing?!"

"Getting blackmail, what does it look like? Now, if you don't work your hardest for the next four days, I'm going to show this to every single girl in your class, and all the other classes, got it?"

Vlad simply grumbled out a 'yes' then sat down in his boxers. Naruto, seeing the boy's compliance, even if it wasn't entirely necessary, began walking around him, projecting various seals onto his body. After a good half an hour, and telling Vlad not to move several times, Naruto finished the seal and said quickly. "Sorry, but this is gonna hurt… a lot… Fuin: Power Infusion no Jutsu!"

Suddenly, all the seals on the boy's body began congregating themselves into a large spiral-like shape in the middle of the boy's chest, just below his pecs. They were glowing gold, lighting up the field, as Vlad screamed in agony. It felt as if a new chakra was forcefully merging with his own, in a temporary bond so that it was pulling on his own. Soon, the seal was completed and the power was sealed into him, and all Vlad could think was '_Wow… so much, power…_'.

"I won't explain the details, but I basically gave you just enough chakra to survive this next week. To start, Get your clothes back on, go home, get some changes of clothes, and meet me at training field 8. It will be ours for now."

(Later)

They met at the training ground, Vlad carrying a large array of clothing, enough for four days and nights, including pajamas… which he'd never use. Training ground 8 was basically just a big round field of trees with a river flowing through the middle, relatively safe for any genin, assuming they could swim.

"Heh, well, you won't be sleeping so you won't be needing those" Naruto said, pointing to the pajamas and burning them with a fire-storing seal which was promptly released. Vlad looked upset, but covered it up. He didn't want any more seals like the one from before.

"Now, the first thing I am going to be teaching you is Kage Bunshin no Jutsu. It will be key to your training, but once you learn it, you can't use it without my approval. Got it?"

"Yes, but Naruto-sensei, I couldn't even do the normal Bunshin, shouldn't I be working on that first?"

"You will, when you have the skill too. Don't worry, as long as there is chakra available, this technique isn't all that hard. First, I'm gonna show you how to use the merged chakra you'll need, then I'll teach you it."

(A few hours later)

Naruto and Vlad were sitting in a small clearing by the river, having just finished their ration bars. Turning to the boy, really analyzing him for the first time, Naruto saw that he really shouldn't have been so weak. He was about four feet tall, a pretty strong build, with wide shoulders and long legs. He had a somewhat angular face, perhaps having to do with some kind of family history, and medium length dark brown hair, put in a ponytail reaching just beneath his shoulders. Unlike Naruto's hair, it looked naturally smooth. The boy was wearing a black cloak with a clasp in the shape of a dragon, which looked ancient, at least a few years old. Underneath that he wore a brown tunic. His pants looked to be standard issue black for ninjas, which was uncommon for children to have, but Naruto brushed that off. Vlad also had a pair of black combat boots. What was most unusual about him though was he didn't use normal kunai, or at least, usually didn't. He only had one, but other than that he had a variety of knives, including a pair of stiletto tips fitted into his boots, and two wide-blade daggers seemed best fit for slitting throats. He also had various others hidden around his person, and if he walked into just about any town, he could probably slip a big enough arsenal for several ninja without anyone ever knowing. It was at this point where Vlad cleared his throat to get Naruto's attention.

"You done?" Naruto asked, as if pretending he hadn't been staring.

"Yeah… I still don't understand, I can make a few clones now, and they're solid, but what does that matter? I mean, I'm grateful, but how does that help me train better like you said?"

The boy, surprisingly polite for his age, soon got his answer. "Vlad, when a Kage Bunshin is released, it transfers any knowledge it gains back to its owner. Essentially, its like speed learning. What you can learn in one day can be learned in half a day by two clones, as long as it isn't physical strengthening."

The boy looked confused for a moment, then a wide grin spread across his face. "So THAT'S how the other kids got so good."

"No, normal or even elemental clones cannot do this. The Kage Bunshin is a forbidden technique, as it splits your chakra. If you make too many clones, you can die from it, and thus: forbidden. Still, it is great for learning. Now, watch me, this is what you'll be learning first."

Naruto walked over to a tree, then focused chakra to his feet, and walked straight up the tree. Once standing upside down, he looked at Vlad and, remembering the higher standards, simply asked. "Have you done this before?"

"Yes… but I was never able to get more than 10 feet high, at most before I ran out of chakra."

"Okay, well, go make nine clones, and start that exercise. Come get me when you're done, I'll be right here."

Vlad, of course, was shocked by his tutor's apparent lack of interest, but didn't bring it up. After all, he'd just given him a load of power, and a new technique. Making nine clones, Vlad started them running up the tree, and within a few hours was at the top… Having re-made the clones every time he made a substantial improvement, Vlad was tired, but he'd done it. Panting heavily, he dropped down and tapped a meditating Naruto on the shoulder. Naruto look up, and grinned.

"Done already huh? Well, I'd say you have a pretty good grasp on control now. So, there are four more things you need to learn to become genin, are you ready? Actually, your answer doesn't matter, you're doing it anyway. Come on."

Naruto led Vlad over to the water, and began to walk on it, expelling a flow of chakra into the water so that he could walk on it. "Well, this is your next exercise. If you complete this, I'll give you the last technique on control, then teach you what you'll need to know for the exam. For this exercise, you must expel a flow of chakra at varying levels of power in order to remain standing. Now, get some clones, and get to work."

With that, Naruto went back to meditating, while Vlad struggled. '_How does he expect me to get this so quickly. I know this is chuunin level control, so why's he having me learn it? Oh well… he seems to know what he's doing, and the sooner I get started the sooner I get to pass. I just hope grand-pa is okay with me learning other things… even if I haven't perfected my rapier style. Grandpa, wherever you are, please forgive me_'

Having each clone focus chakra to its feet, all nine managed a little progress before they sank. By the time all the clones had a chance, Vlad had seen a little of what was required, and began his output of chakra. Releasing all the clones, he felt the knowledge rush to his head, and suddenly knew how to do so better. After eight more hours of training on the technique, Vlad was finally able to walk and run on the water, oh course still using the merged chakra. About to fall asleep, he was tapped on the shoulder by a green tail emanating from Naruto, one of five… and a half… The tail motioned for him to come close, and soon he was sitting before Naruto, cross legged.

"Close your eyes." Naruto spoke in a voice that didn't seem like his own. It was deeper, with almost a malicious aura to it.

"The last exercise is meditation. You must bring your chakra, yours only, to your core and expel the merged chakra. Do so from each individual tenketsu for about a minute, and then it will run out. Once you think you are done, I will remove the seal. If it is not completely gone, the tainted chakra will damage your system, so make sure to do a good job of it."

Ten hours later, Vlad signaled Naruto, who now had a full six green tails swirling around behind him. Naruto leaned over, and opened his eyes to reveal his 14 seals eye. Removing the seal from Vlad's chest, him having removed his outer clothing to allow access, Vlad felt no pain, then promptly passed out, as he had almost no chakra left to support himself.

(1 day later)

Naruto had been meditating constantly, but couldn't begin the seventh tail. Allowing each to recede back into himself, Naruto got up. Eating a ration bar, he shook Vlad awake. When getting him up, Naruto analyzed the boy's reserves and saw that they were both filling much quicker, and that they were larger due to the strain of the merged chakra.

"It's been a day, get up lazy bones." Naruto said in a bored tone. After waiting another five minutes, he spoke again…"If you aren't up in the next five seconds, I'm gonna seal your ass into a scroll."

Not one to push his luck, Vlad hopped out of his sleeping bag and got dressed. Minutes later, he noticed how much stronger he felt. "Vlad, today is the day we start on your techniques. We only have two days left until the exam, so you better work hard. First, make three clones. You'll find this to be much more taxing on your chakra, now that you don't have mine, but your reserves and rate of recovery have increased, so three shouldn't be too hard. Send one off with mine each, with 25 of your chakra each."

With that, Naruto made three Kage Bunshin of his own and sent them off to train with Vlad's. "Each of them will teach one of your clones a technique, while you learn Taijutsu from me. I'll show you a basic style, but it is still better than the academy's. Once you're officially my apprentice, I'll show you something better. Now, we'll do this again tomorrow. Work your ass off or you'll never pass."

(With Clone #1)

The clone of Vlad was looking around confusedly. Naruto had just 'performed' a jutsu, but did so without seals. A seal appeared on the ground, then exploded, without Naruto ever seeming to move. All that happened was one of the kanji for seal in his left eye lit up.

"How did you do that?" Vlad asked, wondering how exactly the seal had appeared.

"My bloodline, but that's not important… yet. For now, I am going to teach you a defensive fire jutsu. It only requires two seals, and is really easy to use. You saw that explosion? Well, what this jutsu does, in its most basic form, is create an outward explosion of fire that lasts a second or two, the force of which should deflect kunai or scorch any nearby enemies. The key to this technique is to use it just before an attack is going to hit you. Now, I use this technique with written seals, which though different from hand-seals, are not so different in concept. The seals for this jutsu are Ram, Tiger."

The Naruto clone slowly went through the seals, making sure Vlad got them, then continued. "Now, throw a kunai at me."

"B-but, sensei? You'd-"

"No, I won't get hurt, I am going to demonstrate the Jutsu"

"O-okay sensei"

The Vlad clone threw a kunai at Naruto. The Naruto clone sighed, _even his clones are nervous, at least he can use those shuriken pretty well, even if they are uncommon_. Unlike normal Konoha shuriken, these shuriken had tiny fin-like blades coming out of them. With a flick of the wrist, they were tearing through the air at Naruto. Just as they were about to hit, the Naruto clone said "Katon: Blast Deflection no Jutsu" and a small explosion blew away the shuriken, leaving the tips of them a little black.

"Now, you try."

The Vlad clone went through the two seals, holding up his hand and saying "Katon: Blast Deflection no Jutsu". A tiny spark emerged from his hand, much to his disappointment, and the Naruto clone simply said "This is gonna be a lot of work".

(With Clone #2)

"Now, Vlad, do you know what a genjutsu is?"

The Vlad clone looked like it was about to respond, but then thought better of it. "Not really, no."

The clone smiled at Vlad's more thoughtful approach, willing to admit he didn't know. Humility… uncommon in many ninja. "A genjutsu is a technique used to fool an enemies senses by putting your chakra into their system and adjusting it. You can fool any of the six senses of ninja: touch, smell, sight, taste, hearing, and chakra recognition."

The clone paused when Vlad raised his hand to ask something. Sighing, the clone decided to nip this habit in the bud. "Vlad, this isn't the academy. Respect me, but just ask if you need something."

"Okay… What is chakra recognition?"

"Chakra recognition is the ability of ninja to sense large amounts of chakra, or the chakra of a particular person, which allows ninjas to find targets even without these other senses. Now, there are two main ways to dispel a genjutsu, either hit yourself to snap out of it, or pulse your chakra to disturb the flow. Let's see which you're better at."

Suddenly, Vlad was no longer in the training ground clearing, he was in a giant cage, slowly closing in on him. Knowing it couldn't be real, even if it was scary, Vlad tried to cancel it. Finding he couldn't coordinate himself well, he pulsed his chakra. It was a small, controlled burst but it did the trick. "Kai!"

Vlad was back to normal again, and the Naruto clone, looking impressed at the young boy, said "Well, that's how you'll go about doing it. That genjutsu I call 'Prisoner no Jutsu' and should work well as a beginning genjutsu. Now, here are the seals" Naruto said, performing them as he spoke. "Bird, Rat, Monkey, Dog, Ram".

Vlad's clone repeated the hand-seals several times, getting a feel for it. He knew that as a genjutsu, his chakra would have to flow, so he began the technique. Flashing though the seals in two seconds, Vlad whispered "Prisoner no Jutsu". Letting the chakra go to Naruto's clone in a flow, the clone soon found itself trapped inside the world. He was greatly impressed that the boy had managed to learn the genjutsu so easily, even if it was a genin level technique. Sure, there were a few imperfections, but for the most part it was functional. Creating a clone, then a burst of chakra, the first clone that had been there dispelled itself from the flow, dispelling itself in the process, while the new clone began helping Vlad master the technique.

(With Clone #3)

Taking an authoritative stance, the Naruto clone began his lecture. "Now, you can't learn much physical as just a clone. However, you can learn form. I will be working with you on one taijutsu style, while the real you and me work on another. That way, you'll get twice the training, and I'm sorry to say it, but you really need to work on your form. I am going to be showing you the start of your clan's taijutsu style, as I've already learned most of it, while the real you and Naruto work on physical strength. Now, copy my form."

The Naruto clone got into a position, which actually looked quite ridiculous at first glance. He was standing with his left foot forward on its heel, toes slightly off the ground. His feet were spread apart a little more than shoulder length, his right foot behind his left and perpendicular to his left, which faced straight forward. Bending his knees, Naruto then put his arms in place. His left arm crossed in front of his chest, like he was about to throw a frisbee backhanded, while his right was behind him. It looked as if he was about to spin around like a child.

Vlad got into the position clumsily next to Naruto, but after an hour his starting form was close enough to begin the katas. Naruto, leading him through the katas, was happy at the surprised but content look on Vlad's face. _Wonder what he's thinking?_

Vlad was having the time of his life, He'd always liked spin kicks in his taijutsu style, and was good at using them, so this style could have been built for him. The only attacks were kicks and a few stirkes with the hands meant to take the opponent off balance. Most of the time, however, the katas had blocks being performed by the hands, attacks by the kicks, and Vlad was just plain happy. _'Finally, finally I get to use a taijutsu style that won't require too much upper body strength, strength I just don't have.'_

They continued the katas, the Naruto clone correcting the boy's form as he tired to master the more advanced steps. "Once you get this kid learning, he isn't too bad" the Naruto clone whispered to himself.

(With the Real Naruto)

"Now, the clones are working on ninjutsu, genjutsu, and taijutsu. In the meantime, you and I are going to work on your body strength. For the next two days, you will only run and keep running. Every time you break a bone or damage a muscle, I will heal it quickly so you'll become stronger. You'll be exhausted by the end, but at least twice as strong as you are now, in with your legs at least."

Applying weight seals to the boy's ankles, Naruto added 10 pounds to each leg, and began chasing Vlad around the field, stopping every few minutes to heal the boy.

Vlad was in pure agony. _'All this, all this for one stupid lousy fucking test, and the pain doesn't stop. He can heal it as much as he wants, the pain doesn't go away. Father, I thank you for my pain threshold, first time I'm ever glad I was beaten. Ah shit, he's catching up.'_

Vlad just began to run faster.

(Two days later)

At the academy, the exam to see who would pass was nearly over. 26 had passed so far, and the last on the list hadn't arrived yet. Just as Chouji was about to release the class, and let them go home, Vlad burst through the door. His clothes were slightly tattered, and his hair was a mess.

"Sorry, sensei. I woke up late… I'm okay though, right? For the exam?"

Chouji smiled, he could tell the boy had gotten stronger. "Yeah, just on time. Come to the front, and we can start."

Most of the class was looking at Vlad expectantly. They knew he'd fail, after all, once a loser, always a loser right? They were all simply waiting for him to fail and be done with it, he didn't belong as a shinobi.

"Vladimir Taltos, for starters make a bunshin, do a kawarimi, and do a henge."

Vlad did the seals, and in a few seconds, there were 4 bunshin of him in the room, a random student in front of them, and a perfect replica of Naruto where the student had been sitting. The room was mildly awed at the progress he'd made, but this feeling was quickly dismissed by those that had already passed, the 26 of the 55 students.

"Okay, well done. Now, one ninjutsu not given to you by us."

Doing two hand seals, Vlad held up his hand, gathering oxygen around it and heating his hands with chakra. "Katon: Blast Deflection no Jutsu". The blast was short and controlled, not that large but it managed to send small breeze around the room, and light it up brightly.

Chouji was once again impressed. He'd never even heard of that jutsu before. It was clearly genin class, but one thing was for sure to Chouji: Naruto must've been a damned good teacher. "Very well done. Now, a genjutsu?"

Vlad smiled, and did 7 handseals. After the first day, the clone had learned a second genjutsu, finding he had a knack for it. However, this one he invented with the help of Naruto, making the genjutsu visible. "Sleep World no Jutsu".

Chouji was suddenly surrounded by a world of feathers, and he felt himself weakening. The Jutsu was not just fooling his sight, but also his smell. Making the 'ram' seal, Chouji said "Kai" and dispelled the technique, though he was confused. _'How on earth did he use a dual layer genjutsu as an academy student? How'd we never notice this talent before?'_

"Very well done again. Never seen that done before either. I take it Naruto was a good teacher, huh?"

Vlad nodded quickly, before he began preparing for his taijutsu test. Deactivating his ankle weight seals, he felt 50 pounds lighter… for good reason. "Sensei… who am I fighting for my test?"

"Well, considering how well you've done so far, I think I'll put you against Shinamura."

Vlad paled at that. Shinamura was the all around number one genin that year. She was smart, attractive, and had a beautiful voice. She was also deadly, the daughter of two ANBU shinobi.

"Well class, let's go outside. If Vlad's skills have improved as much as I think they must've, then this should be an interesting match. Now, let's go." Chouji said, leading them out of the classroom. Once they reached the small training field, Shinamura got into her stance, her 'Pit Dragon Style', while Vlad got into his clan stance, which Shinamura was tempted to laugh at but didn't. She'd seen his leg muscles, they were gigantic compared to what they'd been just a week ago.

"When I call the match, stop. Do not incapacitate your opponent too harshly, it's just a test after all. Now, you can surrender whenever you want. Begin!"

Shinamura charged forward, low to the ground. She attempted to sweep his legs out from under him, but he jumped over the strike, kicking her in the chin at the same time. She flew back a bit, but landed on her feet. Charging again, she feinted left, then kicked down at his left leg. He dodged, but she twisted herself, spinning and kicking him in the face.

Vlad used the momentum of the kick and his arms to do a quick spin past her, kicking her in the back. Before she could hit the ground, Vlad completed a second spin and kicked her stomach, sending her into the air. Jumping, Vlad did a flip and attempted an axe kick, but it was blocked. Flipping again, using Shinamura's arm as leverage, Vlad grabbed her legs, then landed on the ground. Using the momentum of gravity against her, Vlad slid underneath her just before she hit the ground, and kicked up with both feet. Shinamura punched him in the face at the same time, but the air was knocked out of her by his kick. She flew back a few feet, then landed on her ass. Getting up, she rubbed it gently with pain, and raised her hand. "I surrender."

Vlad, with a newly forming black eye, and a few bruises got up and looked at Shinamura. He mouthed "Thank you' and she blushed, but turned away so he wouldn't see. It was common knowledge among girls that she had a crush on the weaker boy, but she would never admit it.

Chouji looked Vlad and Shinamura over, then turned to all of them. "Vlad, you pass. Both of you, go to the infirmary and get checked out. You can come pick up your forehead protectors afterwards. Class dismissed. Come back tomorrow for your team assignments. Those of you that failed, report to room 201 tomorrow for either a remedial class or another Shinobi vocation."

All of them left, some grumbling, others giving Vlad odd looks, and still others smiling at him, though a bit jealous he'd gotten so good so quickly. Those students just wanted to know how that blond guy had gotten the previous dead-last so good.

(Elsewhere)

Naruto was strolling along the road, not a care in the world. He knew Vlad would have no problems, so he wasn't concerned about him. Also, he knew Hinata, Tenten, and Temari's chakra signatures well enough that he could escape them if they came to question where he'd been for so long. Stopping in at Ichiraku's Ramen, Naruto ordered a few bowls and began to eat. However, he was soon in conflict. Temari's signature was coming in this direction, and however much Naruto did not want to be caught, he didn't want to leave his ramen uneaten. Settling for performing a henge and trying to hide his chakra signature, Naruto continued to eat. Temari soon came into the ramen bar and began to eat Naruto's ramen. Knowing he didn't have a way to change his voice, Naruto couldn't tell her to stop, and soon he was eating as fast as he could to keep his food just that; his.

Temari stopped eating when she saw the man she was next to increase pace, not telling her to stop. Of course, she knew this had to be Naruto, no one else eats 10 bowls of ramen as quickly as this man was, but she decided to toy with him. Using a minor wind manipulation, Temari flicked her hand, sending a breeze up the back of the man's coat, making him shiver. She continued this, increasing it, until finally the henge was released to reveal a giggling Naruto.

"Stop it! Stop it! I can't take it, its cold and tickle-y" Naruto said, every other word his voice stopping due to giggles. Temari stopped, then gave Naruto a sweet smile. "Where have you been?"

Naruto rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Uh… I was just training someone… my apprentice?"

"You have an apprentice?" Temari asked, surprised. Anger temporarily forgotten, she looked at him expectantly.

"I have to have one, to become Hokage. You must've heard something about it from Hinata…"

"Uh, yeah, but only little things. I thought she was joking."

Naruto smiled. "Nope, but it looks like I'm gonna have to get a team. However strong I could make Vlad, I don't think he'd enjoy being just like me, he needs friends too. I talked to Chouji, I'm getting a team, and he'll be on it. I'll still teach his team fuujinjutsu, but I'm beginning to think that I'll have to wait to teach it to anyone. In war, such secrets could change the tide."

"Speaking of tide, I hear Hinata's came pretty hard, huh?"

Naruto was choking for about a minute after that, as he remained the events of that night. During this time, Temari was laughing at his discomfort, while a few other patrons looked at them curiously.

When Naruto finally regained control of himself, he looked at Temari questioningly. However, the response was not one he'd expected, as he'd expected her to take him then and there. "Oh no you don't. I'm waiting until our honeymoon before we go past second base. Speaking of which, you have two other women waiting at home who all have wedding plans to put into motion, and want your help. That's right, wedding planning, our revenge". Temari's voice was sweet until the end when she began cackling maniacally.

Naruto just let a large sweat-drop form behind his head, as he sensed the impending doom. Finishing his ramen, he soon arrived home, only to be attacked by the three women, wielding binders of endless decision making.

The next 6 hours of Naruto's life was spent agreeing to whatever the three girls wished for their joint wedding, including paying for the whole thing. By the time it was done, all Naruto knew was that he really needed to either retrieve his spine from the closet it had hidden in when he'd arrived at the estate, or he would forever be whipped.

Metaphorically retrieving his spine, all of them went to bed, still thinking about the wedding to come. The plans were not done yet, and Naruto's next few days would be hell.

(next day)

Naruto woke up to a new feeling, that felt oddly familiar. Having not really slept much in the past week, he was used to meditating and getting up whenever Vlad needed help. However, after sleeping, Naruto found that he needed to get used to waking up again. He knew not what he'd fallen asleep wearing, but he knew he'd fallen asleep alone.

Hinata, her hair a mess, was draped over his body which was clad only in boxers. She had her left arm over his chest, and was clinging to him for warmth under the covers. Her arm was over another's, but it wasn't Naruto's. Tenten was on his right side, her right arm draped over his chest, but under Hinata's arm, making a cross shape. Her hair was down, and on his chest as her head snuggle in his shoulder. However, they were no alone in the room. Temari was sitting at the low table in the room, four bowls of cereal in front of her, one of which had milk in it, and she was eating it. She was also dressed only in her underwear, her black bra neatly covering her breasts, her black thong just barely covering what lay down below. Naruto struggled to not get hard, fearing that if he did, one of the girls shifting on him would get the wrong idea when they awoke. Looking under the blankets, he saw this was a definite possibility, as Hinata was wearing a matching blue and white bra and panty set that looked a little small for her bust, making it peak out a little, and that Tenten was wearing a red teddy similar to that which she'd shown him oh so many years ago in the lingerie store to get his attention. She was also wearing panties but they were tied at the sides, showing her hips. Naruto could struggle against his manhood no more, and soon a tent formed.

Temari looked over, and grinned, a slight blush on her face. "So, bet you can get used to this, huh?"

Naruto blushed deep red, and closed his eyes, trying to settle down. However, this is when Tenten woke up. Stretching a little under the blankets, her hand came in contact with a hard cylindrical object. It could've been the hilt of a katana with its size. She grabbed it, feeling it begin to pulse, and gave it a few soft pulls. She heard the moaning of the man she was half on-top-of, and gave him one more little squeeze before letting go. She whispered in his ear "Don't worry, we all agree that you wouldn't get any until the honeymoon, and that on that night you'd get all three of us, and you'd have to get us all exhausted before you can finish." She smiled evilly at the last part, as she saw him swallow and a brief tinge of fear crossed his features.

Hinata awoke next. She stretched as well, but fortunately did not brush Naruto's member. She leaned over and kissed him on the lips before lifting herself out of bed and over to the table, where she put milk in her cereal and began to eat. Tenten and Naruto soon followed, and began discussing plans for the wedding. Naruto agreed to help with set-up and with costs, as long as the girls promised they got everything they wanted to make it perfect. At the same time, he cleverly freed himself from having to help plan it.

Soon, they parted ways. With a kiss each to Naruto, the three girls set off to arrange the wedding, while Naruto sighed. In three hours he'd have to go meet his new team, as apparently the whole apprentice 'shindig' wouldn't be sufficient. Deciding to catch up with a few more people, Naruto set off to find his two best friends, Shino and Kiba.

(Inuzuka Estate)

Kiba was in the veterinary clinic in the building next to their house. He was working at the table with a new kind of soldier pill which would work especially for animals. The soldier pills used for humans were too powerful in a moment for a dog to handle correctly. Carefully taking some ingredients, he measured out the correct balance, which had taken a year to figure out, and began grinding them up with mortar and pestle. However, he was soon stopped in his work by his dog, Akamaru, who was now about the size of him, maybe larger. He had spiky white fur, with a tinge of silver at the edges, and looked more like an arctic wolf than what was once a puppy. Akamaru barked, warning Kiba of the coming visitor, and his identity. Walking to the door of the clinic, he opened it and waited for the man in the white coat and black pants to arrive. A pulse of green warned him of the man's presence a moment beforehand as well.

Seeing the figure emerge from around the corner of a building, Kiba raised his right hand and called out to him. "Hey Naruto, long time no see!"

Naruto was slightly confused. This could not be Kiba. Sure, the tattoos were the same, and his hair was still brown, just a little longer in the back, and he had those fierce eyes. Sure, he had a similar coat, now brown instead of gray, with fur around the neck. He had a jounin vest and black T-shirt underneath, and was wearing standard-issue black ninja pants. Yes, he looked grown up, but that was the point. Kiba was 6'5", even taller than Naruto, and had muscles visible under even the coat. And Akamaru, whom Naruto assumed was the dog next to him, was even bigger. However, his scent confirmed it was him, so Naruto just obliged the greeting.

"Hey Kiba. What's up?"

"A lot, would you like to come in? My sister Hana is making tea in the house, and my mom's out on a mission."

"Sounds great. Hey, is that Akamaru?"

Akamaru barked in response, and walked up to Naruto. Jumping on him, he pushed the blond to the ground and licked his face a few times. Naruto was rolling around under the dog, trying to get free from the tickling, but it was to no avail. Soon, the dog let up and got off, and the three of them headed inside the main house. Once inside, they sat at the table where Hana brought in the tea.

"Oh, and clean up your room before you go back to work on that pill."

"Nee-chan, I'm not 12 anymore. I'll get around to it…"

Taking a slightly more menacing tone, Hana responded. "Sorry, let me rephrase that. Either clean your room before you go back to work, or I'll neuter you."

Kiba instinctively reached to shield his groin and nodded his head. Hana merely smiled while she walked off.

"So, what did you do for the last five years?"

"Eh, not much. I trained, trained, and trained some more. I got up to the 14th level of my ultimate doujutsu… out of 50. However, since I was in the 4th before, this is a decent improvement. Basically each level of the 50 increases the effectiveness, speed, and range of the seal I use. The sloth boss Folivora has the 50th level, it was like getting hit 50 times at once. I learned counter-sealing, how to use Kie better, and I'm up to the 6th tail of my power now. Basically…. I'm gonna be the next Hokage, well, after I get my team to chuunin."

"Wow, big improvement. I'd asked for the details, but something tells me that would take too damn long. Plus, it looks like you've explained that a few times, considering the look on your face."

"Yeah… three times at least, one in writing. It was a freaking book by the end."

"Heh, same old Naruto. Well, I heard about the team stuff from Chouji, sounds like they're giving you that kid you trained a week, so good luck with that. Just, in a few years when you're Hokage, give me some good missions."

"Heh, will do. So, what've you been up to?"

"Not much either. I've been training a lot, and going on missions. I spent a year in ANBU, and I've been working on medical and enhancement Jutsus and drugs. Done a lot of B, A, and a few S-ranks. We're still sort of a team, Shino, Hinata, and I, but not so much anymore."

"Sounds good. You'll have to show me those jutsu some time. I'll show you a beast armor technique I picked up from some rock ninjas once. Oh, that reminds me, what part do you play in all of this?"

Naruto was, of course, referring to the coming war. Kiba, getting a darker look, waited a moment before responding. "I am going to be a commander on the front lines. That's where they need me most, I can do medical stuff, I'm a leader, I can enhance ninjas, and I'm a special jounin myself… so That's where I'll be."

"You don't sound very thrilled" Naruto said, stating the obvious.

"Well, I'm not. I don't like war. I know they are necessary for the existence of villages, but that's not a reason to get into war, and the Rock country doesn't really have much against us, well, other than the most recent incident with their Kage being killed. Old bastard."

"Oh, heh, that was my fault. I got the order, and I snuck in and killed him. Don't tell anyone though, I'm only telling you because I trust you."

"Well, thanks for the trust then."

They continued to talk with each other, boasting slightly of their tales training or in combat, and after an hour or so Naruto got up and said. "Well, good to see you Kiba. Make sure you come to my wedding, heack bring your sister too. I gotta go see Shino, haven't talked to him yet."

With that, Naruto walked out after a quick handshake, followed by an awkward hug, and used Hiraishin to get to the Aburame estate.

(Aburame Estate)

Shino was out on the back lawn meditating. Normally when people meditate, they seek silence. However, for an Aburame, it is best to be once with nature. Allowing his bugs to flow around him, Shino could tell if anyone was around, even a mile feet away, without chakra, or any of his senses, just his bugs. It was because of this that Shino was very surprised to feel a tap on his shoulder. He did not jump, as Aburames, at the most, raised their eyebrows when surprised. This is exactly what Shino's eyebrows did. Looking up from underneath his cloak's hood, he saw Naruto, white fire receding behind 4 of 14 kanji seals in his eyes.

"Greetings Naruto" Shino said in monotone.

"Hello Shino. You may lower your eyebrows now, no reason to be surprised." Naruto finished teasingly.

Shino cracked his old small smile. "I heard about your trip already so don't bother. I usually leave a bug in the Hokage's office, as do the rest of the Aburame, in case Hokage-sama needs something from us. Interesting story. So, anything to add to your report?"

Naruto was relieved he didn't even have to go through a summary again. "Not much. I'm taking a team… did you hear all that I've said to the Hokage?"

"Yes, and I know you'll be the next one. Don't worry, there is more to our secretive nature than just the fact that our abilities seem to extradite us from others." Shino responded in the still monotone voice.

"Ah… saves more time I guess. Anyway, what have you been up to?"

"Training, doing missions… I'm a jounin now, and clan heir. I'm set to marry a woman from a clan with has joined with us, just two years ago. They use fire ants, really quite interesting. They don't drain chakra, they damage muscles. It's a physical attack as opposed to ours, but they can make theirs drain chakra with techniques as well. Wedding is set for when she turns 18, in three years…"

"Wait a minute… aren't you gay?"

"Yes"

An awkward silence followed as Shino did not feel the need to elaborate. Naruto shifted uncomfortably, then started the conversation again. After chatting about politics and other stuff for an hour, they ate lunch at his house, then Naruto had to leave for the Academy. After all, He wanted to pick up his team on time.

(At the Academy)

Chouji was at the front of the classroom of students, silent while Iruka talked to all those who passed. They were crammed into the room, filling all the seats and three being forced to sit on the floor. The 'badasses' from both rooms were next to each other, causing a veritable mass of fan-girl love to be sent in that direction, so powerful it was almost visible. Just because they're skilled doesn't mean they aren't fangirls. Meanwhile, Vlad was sitting next to Shinamura and his only other friend, an Akimichi boy named Chouro. They had just finished being told by Iruka how the ninja world was full of challenges and that they would be on a hard path from now on. The 17 teams of students were then called, and many waited with rapt attention to see who their sensei would be, most of them hoping they got Naruto, the boy that had turned Vlad into a skilled genin in just a week.

"Team 13: Owara Ganju, Wakashi Temio, and Jigan Lora. Your sensei will be Hatake Kakashi."

"Team 14: Shinamura Asuka, Taltos Vladimir, and Akimichi Chouro. Your sensei will be Namikaze Naruto."

Iruka continued announcing the teams, but the three who had just been called were frozen at their seats. Simultaneously they all thought: _'We're all on the same team! This is gonna be awesome!'_

After a few moments, Iruka finished his speech and the jounins that were there took their students. Only 4 teams were left. Then three… then just teams 13 and 14. It was about noon, they had waited an hour, and Naruto still wasn't there. The teams chatted amongst their members for a few more hours, before Naruto and Kakashi both showed up. Kakashi entered in a burst of smoke, while Naruto simply emitted a yellow flash of light. They looked at each other, both embarrassed that someone had seen them be that late, but simply shrugged it off and took their teams. Team 13 followed Kakashi up to the roof, while Naruto stayed in the room, looking them over. Then, finishing his quick inspection, he spoke.

"Well, we're a team. Tomorrow you guys will do survival training to see what level of missions you'll be capable of, then the training will start. Before you get too excited, we won't be doing the speed training I did with Vlad. It was a huge drain on his system, he won't be able to train like that again for a while. Now then, don't worry if you fail the test tomorrow, it just means you'll do lower ranked missions. Meet me at training ground 6 tomorrow at 9 AM. Bye."

Naruto was about to Hiraishin away when he heard Shinamura speak up. "Sensei, can't we get to know you a bit? I mean, if we're a team, we need to act as one, right?"

Naruto thought briefly, then nodded. Internally, he felt he didn't want to get too close to them else he'd have a hard time taking his position later on, but being friends at least didn't seem like a bad idea. "Okay then, we'll get to know each other. Since you asked, you go first. Say your name, likes, dislikes, hobbies, dream, that kind of stuff."

"I am Shinamura Asuka. I like Vladimir-kun and learning new techniques. I dislike people who put others down instead of trying to help them. My hobbies are gardening and training, and my dream is to be a hunter-nin, and take down enemies of this world."

At the last part, Naruto was simply thinking: _'Wow, I got a righteous one here. Well, better than a fangirl'_. While Vlad was thinking _'-kun? I'm Vladimir-__**kun**__?'_

"Okay, that was interesting. You, big-boned guy, you're up." Naruto said, knowing that calling an Akimichi fat was to ask for a death wish.

"I'm Akimichi Chouro. I like anything Barbecued, and expansion techniques. I dislike bullies and people that call others fat" he paused, spitting the word 'fat' like it was poison, then continued. "My hobbies are learning my family jutsus and eating Barbecue, and my dream is to create the perfect Akimichi pills."

"I'm Vladimir Taltos. I like learning stealth techniques and poetry. I dislike my parents… got what they deserved. My hobbies are writing poetry, training, and learning manipulation, and my dream for the future is to re-establish my clan and destroy those that wiped us out."

At that, the other two looked at him oddly, before they all turned their attention to Naruto. "I am Namikaze Naruto. I like Hinata-chan, Tenten-chan, Temari-chan, and my students… well, for now on that last one. I dislike people who cheat to get their power, and people who manipulate others, or live for hatred. My hobbies are training and meditation, and in the future I want to be Hokage, and rebuild my clan with my wives. Now that that's over, see you all tomorrow. And make sure to get a good night's sleep, it'll be the hardest thing you've ever done."

With that, Naruto disappeared, only a vanishing Hiraishin seal left in his wake. He stopped moving for a second, and bit his thump. Swiping the blood across the blood-resistant leather of the leaf symbol on his left fingerless glove, the ironing board with wind-seals appeared. Jumping on, Naruto pumped 5 percent of his chakra into it, way more than what 5 percent had been before, and shot off at nearly 100 miles per hour.

(The Hot Springs)

Naruto had landed in front of Konoha's hot springs, gotten entrance, stripped, put on a towel, and was currently in the mixed baths once again. A week gone by already, and Naruto was looking forward to having someone to talk to, even a nearly naked woman he didn't know. The men's side was closed for the day, an occurrence involving a peeping older man with white hair leading to the destruction of parts of the spring, which would need to be fixed. No other man dared to go into the shared side, since the woman in there was supposed to be crazy. Anko, the 'snake whore' of Konoha, was observing Naruto as he slid himself into the spring.

"Hey Anko-san" Naruto said, eyes closed, head leaning back while he enjoyed the spring.

Anko couldn't think of anything to say. The man had the body of a greek god, and with her current appearance, which she had been making appear younger with Tsuande's help, so that she looked about 20 instead of 28, she felt she had a pretty good chance at him.

"Hello Naruto-kun. Enjoying the scent in the air?"

"Mmm-hmm, smells like Ank-"

This is when Naruto realized Anko had moved next to him, one hand resting on his left shoulder, arm draped across him, and her other hand tracing circles on his chest. _'So fast! I didn't even sense her moving!'_

"Smells like what?" Anko whispered in his ear.

"Smells… like Anko-chan." Naruto said, immediately after thinking as to why it had just changed to 'Anko-chan'

Anko noticed this as well, and used it to her advantage. "Anko-chan eh? I guess I am young enough. Want to see just how young I am?"

"It's well worth it. I saw how big he was through the window…" A voice said from behind them. Ino was standing there… nude.

Now, normally Naruto had no problem keeping himself under control. He had three beautiful fiances at home, all perfectly willing for him, and all loving him, he loving them back with all his heart and soul. However, with Anko draped over him, her hips moving and crotch gently rubbing against him, with a completely nude Ino in front of him, in a seductive pose, Naruto was left helpless. His manhood became fully stiff from the sight… because Ino was gorgeous.

Ino, 5'6" tall, platinum blond hair, C-cup bust, thin body, beautiful hips, a tight, firm butt, slender thighs and calfs, and perfect feet, not to mention her cute face which could cause death from blood loss with just a casual wink, and her sky blue eyes, the steam giving her a heavenly aura and the little patch of blond hair just above her entrance hiding her just a teensy bit beyond sight.

Scratch that, Natuo didn't just have the world's biggest stiffy, he had blood coming from his nose, and his head bent back far into a position that shouldn't have been humanly possible. All faded to black.

When he awoke, he was on the side of the spring, his towel removed, though it would have been making a tent if it hadn't been. There in front of him, was just Ino. She had a towel on, and an apologetic look. Before he could speak, she began, in a quiet voice.

"Sorry… Naruto-kun. Its just, for five years I heard how great you were from Tenten and Hinata. I got distanced from them because I couldn't take part in anything anymore. Everything they talked about was either you or politics, and I couldn't or didn't want to talk about those things… But I saw you training Vlad, I see what they were talking about then. I saw how you act… responsible, and at the same time, you're fun. You're the type of person I'd once imagined Sasuke would be… but I was wrong… he killed my best friend, and…. and… I just don't want to be alone anymore!"

Ino grew gradually more upset as she talked, and in the end threw herself on top of him, crying into his shoulder… He held her close to him, comforting her while she cried, until she wore herself out.

"Naruto-kun… I, I want to be with you too… I like you a lot, and, I just want to be part of the world again. Do you think you could, at least give me a chance?"

Naruto was not one to turn an emotionally hurt woman away, but couldn't outright say yes, as that was something he'd promised to Hinata, and he kept his promises. "Ino… I'll give you the chance, but only if you can convince Hinata. I'm sure she won't have a problem with it… Do you want me to stay with you?"

Ino shook her head in the negative, as she slid back into the springs. She looked like she just had a lot to think about. Naruto gave her a last gaze, then slid back into the men's locker room, getting his clothes on and going home.

(Namikaze Estate)

Naruto decided not to tell Hinata all of what happened, informing her just of how their meetings went both times, and that Ino seemed to like him and asked him out, leaving out the emotionally crippled bit, as Ino would need to work that out with Hinata herself. Soon, Hinata, Tenten, Temari, and Naruto himself were all in his big soft bed, snuggled up to each other, Temari and Hinata on Naruto's sides, Tenten having drawn the short straw. They all fell soon fell asleep, slipping into dreams of… Naruto, Naruto, Naruto, and for the male member of the group, Tenten, Temari, Hinata, and Ino all in a hot spring doing 'fun things'. Tomorrow, it would all begin again.

(Elsewhere)

Three figures in dark cloaks with red clouds on them stood before about 15 corpses, all dressed the same way. All three figures opened their eyes… none of them quite normal. The man in the middle asked "What do we do now?"

"Now we get the last two demons. Shukaku… Kyuubi… you may have been banished, but you can be retrieved. Konoha will fall." Said the man on the left, a little shorter.

The shortest man muttered out his comment, his voice echoing in the dark empty chamber. "The War."

Ominous lightning sounded, as they began to pick up the corpses of the men who were once their allies.

Chapter End.

Well guys, it only took four days to write, but here you go. Another chapter over 9000 words, man, I'm just on a roll here. I got lots of votes for Ino, so she's in unless I get an unexpected idea or something. Oh, and if you find any major inconsistencies, please tell me, I don't trust my beta guy much right now... Review plz!!


	22. Chapter 22

Seals of Fate

Hey all! I know there are a lot of questions circling about the caged bird seal, and the path of this fic, so please just remember all will be answered with time. I have not forgotten. Thanks for the reviews.

Chapter 22: Extraction, Fall to Grace.

Naruto awoke to the sound of an angry alarm clock beeping as loudly as possible right next to him. 5:00, not a good time of the morning to get up. He was alone in his bed, his wives snuggled up in their own rooms so as to avoid being awakened by said alarm clock that early. The reason Naruto was up this early… His team. Apparently, they liked to start early.

Dragging himself out of bed, Naruto ambled into the shower. He'd slept naked that night, it being rather warm in the room, so he simply walked in. Dozing while showering, he stayed there for a good 15 minutes, but decided to get out before he became a human prune. He eventually made his way out and back to his room, and put on his clothes. A black T-shirt with a cross outlined in light green, a green jounin vest, his white coat which not had two attachments on the back to hold his sword, the bronze chain of every changing size and shape, a pair of black ANBU pants, and black combat boots. A kunai holder on his right thigh, equipment pouch on his left hip, Kie on his back, and Naruto was ready to go.

Activating his Fuingan, he lit up all 14 kanji seals and used the Hiraishin to get to the training ground in a matter of seconds. It was exactly 5:30, too early for breakfast, so he had no problems with simply arriving. There in front of him stood his battle-ready genin squad. "Hey Guys."

Shinamura snorted. "and girl…" Naruto muttered.

Vlad got up from his meditation state and began his usual tirade. "When am I gonna get my familiar? I thought you said I had to get him when I was 12?" he asked in a whiny voice.

"I told you. I gave you the scroll, you know how to get him. Next time we get a mission to rock country, you can go find that forest or something and get your familiar, okay?"

"Let's just get our mission" Chouro complained.

"I agree" Naruto said, nodding sagaciously. "follow."

With that he began walking in the direction of the tower. However, his team had a different idea. Deactivating their gravity seals, they sped by him at about the speed of Rock Lee when he was a genin. Craning her neck around, Shinamura stuck out her tongue as they continued to the tower.

Sighing, Naruto thought to himself _'Every single time. Will they ever learn?_'. In an instant Naruto was in front of the Hokage tower, and saw his team running towards him, in the distance. When they arrived, Naruto just asked. "What took you so long?"

They were panting heavily, and reactivated their seals before responding with: "Hey, we can't do that, it's not fair!"

"No, you could do it, you just don't know how. Maybe one day I'll show you the old fashioned version." Naruto said, tauntingly.

"Really?" Chouro said, his eyes filling with hope. He'd seen how some girls looked at Naruto when they saw him appear from nowhere, standing proud but acting as if nothing had happened. No one liked the big boned people… well, except for when they grew up to be muscled… but Chouro had a long way to go to get there.

"Nope. Family secret." Naruto said in a pleasant tone. Chouro just looked angry.

Entering the building, the three genin and jounin made their way upstairs to where missions wee being handed out by the only chuunin who bothered to get up that early, Hajiro Temio. This was probably because he slept during the day and went out at night, like those vampire things in children's stories. He'd be a jounin if it wasn't for his odd condition, but then, no one really paid much attention to it when compared to his personality. He was, for all intents and purposes, insane. He would change his personality once every weeks, regardless of circumstances. This week he was pleasant.

"Hiya Naruto-san. Here for a mission?" He said cheerily. He was wearing a bright blue shirt with his chuunin vest over it, and white slacks. He had no kunai holsters or shuriken holsters, his forehead protector resting over on his bicep. In fact, he had really no talents at all, it was just his eyes. They were bright green and no threatening…. right now…. Two weeks ago Naruto had to seal them away and unseal the again later when picking up a mission on a week Temio decided to be mean.

"Yup. Got any for Rock country?"

"Got a B-ranker there. You're team up for it?"

"Well, they've got me don't they?"

"Point, point. So, the big day is in a week I hear? You better be back by then. Getting rid of ninjas on the border doesn't take long for you though, so it shouldn't be a big problem right?"

"Yeah, big day is in a week. You got your invitation, right? Pick a happy mood for next week."

"Will do!"

It was one of their more pleasant conversations. Leaving the tower, Naruto gathered his team together and sat them down on a table in a nearby Café to talk about the mission.

"Asuka, Vlad, Chouro, we're gonna have to do this mission quickly. Now, I know you want to get your familiar, so we'll do that first. Afterwards, on the way back, we're gonna be quick about taking them out. For now, increase your gravity seals to 4x and use chakra to support yourself. We're moving full speed. Also, when we arrive, Vlad needs to get his familiar alone, so stay with me. We'll be in enemy territory for a little while, so there will be no talking unless I give the okay. Now, go get set for a week long mission, We leave from the east gate at 8."

It was 6:30 at the time, so that left Naruto an hour or so to kill. Going to a grocery store that had just opened, Naruto filled a few scrolls with food and ate a bagel for breakfast. Then, heading to the east gate, Naruto waited. Soon his team arrived, and they left.

Moving quickly, it took only a few hours to make it to the border. Grabbing the three genin, Naruto teleported them all to the forest, which was actually pretty close to the border according to the map. After an hour of searching, they found the edge, and walked in towards the middle. Reach a small clearing Naruto gave orders for Chouro and Asuka to go do the kunai balancing exercise. Grumbling, they moved off to the side of the clearing and stuck two kunai each into the ground, the blunted edges facing up. Jumping up, they landed on their fingers and used chakra to suspend themselves, this time on the first try, and tried to hold it as long as they could.

Naruto, seeing that they would be fine with their exercise, went to the center of the clearing, Vlad trailing him. Taking out a bottle of ink, Vlad began drawing the only seal he knew, an intricate 4 foot diameter summoning location seal. This particular seal was one Naruto couldn't project for him, since it wouldn't be his chakra going into it. Finishing the seal, Vlad nodded to Naruto, who walked off to instruct Chouro and Asuka on how to do it with one kunai instead of two.

Vlad, giving himself a little reassurance, began the chant he'd memorized from the scroll, while channeling his chakra into the scroll.

_"Immortal sinks into decay_

_Newborn dragon yearns to slay _

_Let the winds of jungle's night_

_Stay the hunter in her flight_

_Evening's breath to elder's mind_

_Let our fates be intertwined_

_Dragon do not pass me by_

_Show me where thine young doth lie_

_Let our lives become another_

_Let thy child become my brother_

_Live life through minds' interplay_

_And we shall rise from ashes gray"_

Soon a winged figure dropped from the canopy of the forest. It was about 8 feet tall with a 20 foot wingspan. It was bronze colored, and covered in scales. Its eyes were yellow, and its mouth full of sharp teeth. A tail swung around behind it, the end shaped like a flame. It had no hands, just large feet on which it had three toes with claws protruding. In one claw was an egg. The dragon, assumedly the mother, landed just before the location seal which disappeared, and took a look at Vlad.

"Name yourself" The apparently female dragon roared.

"Vladimir Taltos." Vlad said in a cautious tone, taking a step away from the dragon who had come mere inches within stepping on his foot.

"Taltos eh?" The dragon chuckled, which was a little unsettling. "So you're the last one?"

Vlad shuddered slightly at the thought of his lack of family, which did not go unnoticed by the dragon. "I am sorry, I didn't mean it that way." However, the gigantic dragon apologizing was still more unsettling. Getting down to business, the Dragon spoke again.

"So you request my son to be your familiar? What makes you think you are worthy of the last of the dragons, the prince no less?"

"The l-last?" Vlad stuttered out.

"Why yes. The rest were familiars to your clan. We lived with them in peace for as long as our lives ran. Some called them immortal, but that is not true. When we die, you die with us. We are like an extra life, you can be mortally wounded, but not killed so long as your familiar lives. So, what makes you think yourself worthy to be under our protection?"

"I want to rebuild the Taltos clan. I will help rebuild the clan, and thus rebuild yours, right? I read the scroll, so far as I can tell, when a Taltos calls for a familiar, it allows a dragon to be born… If I rebuild the clan, will you grant me your son?"

"I find this exchange fair, young one. His name is Ryuji, and he is now yours." The Dragon then flew off, leaving a hatching egg which, was soon cracking. Picking up the egg, Vlad felt a tugging on his mind. It soon hatched, and the tiny dragon popped out. In his mind, Vlad could hear it 'speaking'.

"_Mama" _Ryuji said. Vlad twitched slightly at this, but decided to correct it early.

"_No. Daddy_."

"_Mama_" The small being agreed, before using its legs to climb up onto Vlad shoulder. Nestling into his neck, Ryuji soon fell asleep, and Vlad returned to the other side of the clearing to explain what just happened to his very confused team mates.

After the explanation, basically explaining that in exchange for the help of the royal dragon family he would have to rebuild his clan, Asuka began blushing, thinking of how she would change her last name from Shinamura to Taltos, before silencing her inner-fangirl and turning her attention to Naruto who was now talking.

"Okay, we need to make this quick. It's too late to set out now, so we make camp here today and set out at nightfall when we will be able to sneak-attack the rogue rock nins. Keep in mind, this is a B-rank, if an enemy is too hard for you to fight, back off, run. I will make a big enough distraction. Hopefully, there won't be too many of them."

(Nightfall)

Naruto and his team were making their way along the border trying to find the camp when Naruto suddenly stopped his team. Motioning for them to stay behind, Naruto performed an invisibility genjutsu and moved on ahead. Soon he came to the site where the rogues were at, but… they weren't rogues. They all had rock-nin headbands, none with scratches in them, and this wasn't just a camp…

About 2,000 or so assorted genin, chuunin, and jounin were in the base, which could probably hold another thousand if need be. These weren't rogues, they were the outlying post of an army. Naruto moved a few yards back into the deep forest, and began thinking about what this could mean. '_Why would they want to send out for a mission, only for its members to find the army. Why would they want to spoil the element of surprise.'_

Suddenly, a scream broke him from his thoughts. Keeping the genjutsu active, Naruto jumped up onto the wall of the base, silently disabling a guard with a poke to a few pressure points in the back and neck. Leaning the guard against the wall in a position that looked like he was just resting, Naruto looked into the base. There he saw something which truly horrified him. Down in the middle of the camp was his team.

"Taltos Vladimir, Shinamura Asuka, Akimichi Chouro, you are all genins of the leaf, and for that you will be executed by means of crushing. Any last words?" Said the man in front of them. They were all bound in chains which seemed to suppress chakra, and were on their knees in front of the middle-aged jounin in front of them.

They all said nothing, silently hoping Naruto was nearby, refusing to accept death until the very end. They may be ninja, but they were still children, and their leader was quite possibly the strongest leaf ninja since the Yondaime.

"Nothing? Very well then." The jounin began making handseals, and upon finishing called out his jutsu. "Doton: Rock Burial no Jutsu." The ground came up and swallowed them all down, making blood spurt from the ground. However, there were no bodies when the ground revealed where they once had been.

(One mile outside the camp)

Naruto was panting. Next to him were his three genins, wondering what in the hell had just happened.

"What WAS that Naruto-sensei?" Chouro asked, having never seen such a technique before.

"Blood clones, made from a guard's blood, henged into you, using substitution to switch with you from long range, plus an instant Hiraishin before the guards could notice, in combination with an invisibility jutsu so they wouldn't see the flash from Hiraishin."

All three of his genin's mouths dropped, processing the complexity of what just happened while Naruto caught his breath. Soon they set off for Konoha, making their week trip into a two day trip, or so they thought.

(Konoha)

The two guards at the gate were twiddling their thumbs, wondering why today had to be such a boring day. No one coming in or going out, it was disappointing. Well, until three genin came running up to the gate screaming.

"Get the Hokage!" The boy with the weird dragon thing yelled.

"Get ANBU!" shrieked the girl.

"Get me FOOD!" The other boy growled.

All of them looked at him, wondering just why he was thinking about food while his teammates were going ballistic. Chouro looked around at the faces and just said sheepishly. "What?"

The two guards sighed, and looked to the other genin who had calmed themselves down. "Naruto-sensei, he met with a bunch of guys in black, with red cloaks. There were four of them…. He killed two… disintegrated them before he got stabbed in the back by a giant tail. It looked like it had poison. We deactivated our seals and ran here… they're only about 22 miles away, he'll need help." Said Vlad, struggling to keep from yelling at them for not getting the Hokage right away. However, hearing this, one of them bit his thumb and swiped the blood over the emergency summon. In the Hokage's office, Tsunade felt a tugging in the back of her head, and felt the summoner. It was one of the guards at the north gate.

Appearing at the gate, of her own free will, she asked what was going on. When Vlad got to the part about men in black cloaks with red clouds, she didn't listen to another word. Calling for two nearby ANBU squads, she and the 8 ANBU set off to find the blond-haired wonder.

(With Naruto)

"You Bastard! Killing Hidan and Kakuzu like that? Well, not like I really liked them, but Kakuzu brought in money dammit, and I need that for my hair products!" said Deidara angrily.

Sasori was growing tired of his teammate's whining, and shot him a cold glare. They were on opposite side of Naruto who was not wielding Kie, instead keeping it on his back to help block Sasori's scorpion tail. Naruto dodged the tail and explosion over and over again, glad that he had managed to survive so far on his own chakra, and that he had killed two major opponents so quickly… or, well, he thought he did. Suddenly a blast of air came from his right, blowing him over and allowing Sasori to stab him through the gut. Using a substitution, Naruto replaced himself with a log and cast his invisibility genjutsu over himself. Words of Folivora echoed in his mind. _'When you find yourself in a life and death situation, you will be able to advance your eye. All you must do is not rely on it until you need it.'_

Deactivating his Fuingan, which had been active, he let the white fire drain out of it. Drawing Kie, he looked down at his opponents, still looking for his hidden chakra signature. Three of them, apparently that Kakuzu guy can take a hit pretty well… or Naruto missed. Suddenly, Naruto felt a sharp pain in his stomach. Turning around, he saw that other guy, Hidan, standing in a circle with a triangle in it and stabbing himself in the stomach. It didn't take a genius to figure out what was going on.

"I see this may be more of a challenge than I thought" Naruto said, deactivating the genjutsu.

"You really thought you could take on 4 Akatsuki members alone? Even with those eyes it's impossible." Deidara said menacingly.

"Yes, with how these eyes are now, but what if I advanced them?" Naruto responded. Hidan raised a dagger to his head, and rammed it in. At the same moment, Naruto's eyes jumped to 20 seals each. With the new eyes, came new power. "Fuin: 40 Eye-Seal Shield!"

Performing the technique he'd seen Folivora do oh so many times, he felt the 'kunai' about to enter his skull, but nothing happened. There was no pain, no injury.

Hidan was frozen in place. Around him was a blue shield of someone else's chakra. He looked to Naruto, who said to him tauntingly: "Hurting yourself is a nasty habit."

Hidan immediately broke his technique, instead throwing his scythe at Naruto in an attempt to get more blood to try a different technique. However, the scythe was dodged and thrown back, as Sasori shed his armor and Kakuzu sent a water blast at Naruto which was dodged.

"Let's try this out!" Naruto shouted. He deactivated his seal-eyes again, hoping to bring them up more, and to his great fortune, or misfortune, two more people with cloaks showed up. One had a sharingan, the other had a gigantic sword.

"So, he's giving you that much trouble" The one with the bandaged sword said, mocking the others.

"Shut up, it's like fighting the Yondaime times two." Said Deidara. Meanwhile, Sasori yelled at them. "You're in the way." And summoned his 300 puppets. However, in barely 8 seconds all of them were destroyed, and Sasori had a rasengan burying its way into his organs.

Naruto, tired of being stabbed and using Kyuubi's chakra to heal it and remove the poison, decided to take advantage of the distraction and light all 40 kanji seals. Shouting his technique: "300 Seal-Eye Inferno", Naruto blew up every single one of Sasori's puppets, then used Hiraishin to get close and drive a Rasengan into Sasori's heart and other organs. Then, turning to his partner, he once again used the Hiraishin to warp in front of him. Manually placing two disintegration seals on Deidara, he destroyed both of the Man's arms, before getting side-swiped by a giant sword. Crashing into a tree, Naruto looked up to see the five remaining members, all but two moving to the trees, leaving the Sharingan user and his teammate with the sword to deal with Naruto.

"Ah, so you two are the strongest eh?" Naruto said weakly, regenerating from the damage to his body from the sword hit that would've killed just about anyone else in one hit.

"Yes. And you will die here. Tsukuyomi."

Instantly, Naruto was flung into the world of Itachi's control, and just as quickly escaped due to the Kyuubi Chakra dispelling it with a burst.

"True, your mangekyou cannot be broken by normal chakra, but what abo**ut DEMON CHAKRA**!" Naruto growled, his voice turning demonic as he released two tails. The mass of power began driving back the Akatsuki members. However, Itachi was unfazed and continued staring into Naruto's eyes… his biggest mistake.

"**Fuin: 40 point Bloodline Seal!**" Naruto shouted, and instantly Itachi's sharingan was gone, impossible to get back until he has done the equivalent of awakening it 40 more times. To get the Mangekyou would be nearly impossible.

Itachi reeled back from the loss of power. The clarity of the world basically gone due to his near constant use of the Sharingan. He would need a telescope to see clearly with his eyes as they were. The near-blind Uchiha then fell down from the waves of demonic chakra, or tried to fall back. A sword was soon lodged within him, stealing his soul. The Uchiha let out a bloodcurdling scream then fell limp, Kie now glowing bright green.

"He killed Itachi." Hidan muttered from the trees. He'd never before seen someone with so much power.

"We need to bring him to nine tails now! Hidan, Help me with the barrier!" Kakuzu shouted to the others. Arriving across the clearing from each other, Kakuzu and Hidan performed a joint barrier technique. "Five Element Shield no Jutsu"

A blue dome surrounded both Hidan and Kakuzu, and then the clearing. This actually made Tsunade and her band of ANBU arrive just moments later, having seen the dome. She looked within, and saw something which truly amazed her. Two dead Akatsuki members, and four more, 2 of which holding a barrier which Tsunade determined as a bad idea to touch. She thought to herself '_Please be okay'_ Then realized she was a burden here. She jumped up and into the canopy, so as to not be noticed by Naruto. However, he'd already seen her.

"Heh, looks like I'm gonna have to finish this up. Can't have baa-chan waiting for me" Naruto muttered to himself, while still locked in a kenjutsu fight with Kisame. Deidara was reforming his arms from clay, slowly, with his mouth working it. He was done with one already, and glad he'd made this technique last year.

"Yeah right. You got lucky with Itachi and Sasori, but we are not so easy to defeat." Kisame said, pulling back his sword and engaging Naruto in another bout of swift strikes.

Naruto, growing more fatigued from the fight, released another two tails of chakra. Overpowering Kisame, Naruto drew back Kie and went into a more complex stance. Charging forward once again, Naruto flashed in front of Kisame with pure speed, but, surprisingly, he was caught in the side by the sword. Kisame brought his hands together in a ram hand-seal, and shouted: "First Gate: Kaimon: Kai!" Immediately, Kisame's chakra surged to about half of Naruto's. Bringing his hands together again, he shouted "Second Gate: Kyumon: Kai"… 3/4ths of Naruto's. "Seimon: Kai, Shomon: Kai, Komon: Kai!"

Kisame was now equal to Naruto in power, with five gates open. Naruto released another tail, and they were no longer clashing, simply their chakra. Kisame released the sixth gate. "Keimon: Kai!"

Naruto released another tail, up to 6. His power exceeded Kisame's by a great deal now, each tail containing more power than the last. Kisame, however, had an objective. "Kyomon: Kai!" and the seventh gate opened.

"Shimon: KAI!"

The ground was shaking with power. With all 8 gates open, Kisame could have taken down any Kage, even the Yondaime, in seconds. Naruto, to prove his power, brought himself forcefully up to 7 tails, then 8, then finally, 9 tails emerged. From the ground, the rumbling continued. Both Kisame and Naruto let out earth-shattering roars, their chakra obliterating the shield around them, and vaporizing all who had not left the area. When Kisame began opening gates though, Tsunade and her ANBU had left. Naruto was now up to 40 kanji seals in each eye. Pain emerged from the ground, releasing his extra bodies, as did Konan, Zetsu, and Tobi. They all began making hand-seals in Unison while the Kyuubi's chakra battled down the weakening Kisame's.

Naruto saw those around him, and knew he recognized that ritual. It was meant to extract demons, as he'd been told by Folivora after she learned he was once a jinchuuriki, now merged. If they got the Kyuubi's chakra, without form, it would re-create it… under their will if contained.

Naruto would not let that happen. He could only imagine a Kyuubi attack on Konoha. He would be responsible. Hinata… Tenten… Temari… Ino… Obaa-chan… Ero-sennin… his friends, and Iruka, his father… Everyone he loved and the village he loved would die.

"**I won't let this happen**"

"**THIS WILL NOT HAPPEN!**"

Before they could finish their technique, Naruto did a technique he'd been doing for a long time. Expelling Kyuubi's chakra. However, it wasn't a simple exercise that Naruto was trying to do… No, Naruto was forcibly splitting his Chakra from Kyuubi's and blasting it around him in a wave…. The 50 seals in each of his eyes formed, and Naruto prepared himself for the pain.

"**KINJUTSU: DEMON EXPULSION WAVE**"

In an instant, all of Kyuubi's chakra was blown out of Naruto in a ring. In the last second though, Naruto saw Tobi leave. He had somehow not been locked down by the force of the chakra. However, it was too late to think of that, Forcing all of Kyuubi's chakra to split from his own, Naruto forced all the demonic chakra from every tenketsu point, expelling it forcefully into the world. This event later became known as 'Apocalypse' Because everything with a five mile radius of Naruto was utterly annihilated. The ground was turned black, the sky flashed red for a brief moment, and Naruto could only make out the outlines of the remaining Akatsuki as their skin, muscles, veins, and soon their very bones were disintegrated by the chakra. Only one had escaped, and with that thought, Naruto slipped into dreamless sleep.

Chapter End

Sorry for the short chapter guys. It's finals week and I can't afford to spend any more time on this today. Still, the Kyuubi and it's chakra gone? What'll happen next? Well, you'll just have to wait a little bit. Hope you enjoyed the chapter, plz review.


	23. Chapter 23

Seals of Fate

Hey all. Two clarifications for those who didn't notice: Tsunade and the ANBU ran like hell when Kisame started opening the gates, and it was the full chakra of the Akatsuki remaining that nearly rivaled the modified/merged Kyuubi chakra. And I specified: Tobi escaped. Also, I'm finally done with school, summer vacation! Updates will be normal though, just a few interruptions for trips.

Chapter 23: War Demons

Beep… Beep… Beep…

"Is he gonna be okay?" A concerned Hinata was leaning over the bed, grasping the hand of her beloved A lone tear made its way down her cheek, soon to be followed by others. They had just gotten him back to the hospital an hour before, having found him a day after the explosion. Bodies are hard to find when covered in dust in a 10 mile diameter crater...

"He's recovering. I'm actually surprised, the force he used, he must've either had something enormous to expel, or he just has really strong coils… with the size of that craters he must've used a chakra store the size of a few kages…". The nurse looked awed for a moment… then turned her look away and left the room to get a doctor.

'_Expel something? Wait… did he? No, he couldn't have gotten rid of it… it would kill him…'_ Hinata thought, desperately trying to find another reason for the source of the power. However, that was when a realization struck. He still had cuts when he was found… they weren't healed. He got rid of Kyuubi's chakra…

"Ugh… what happened?" A voice said from below her. The hand she was holding suddenly retracted, as the blond haired man in the bed rubbed his eyes, and sat up.

"Naruto-kun!" Hinata yelled, jumping on him. Though surprised and confused, he was brought to reality by the voice.

"Hinata-chan!" Naruto said as he pulled her in. She was soon lying on top of him, the both of them holding each other, grasping each other's backs and snuggling together for warmth. This is the scene the doctor walked in on.

"Well, well, such a recovery. If I didn't know better, I'd call her the patient. Hug her any tighter you'll kill her" The doctor joked, snickering as he came through the door.

"Uzumaki-san, we gave you the usual… You may want to check your coils, see what happened to them since you aren't healing as well, but overall you should be fine. Already signed your release forms."

This was standard procedure in the hospital. Naruto would come in after someone insisting he'd damaged himself, and they would wave him out, since to him the injuries wouldn't last long. Smiling appreciatively, Naruto prepared to get out of bed, but noticed something odd…. He still had cuts on him. Sending some chakra to the area, it hurt him, and he fell back into the bed after having sat up.

"Uhm.. can I stay for a little longer?" Naruto said, wondering inwardly why he felt so weak. Then the memories of the previous day came back. The Akatsuki, killing… expelling the chakra, the coils burnt, reforming, everything… the destruction. Staring out the window he would see, off in the distance, a clearing made apparently of sand, the explosion nearly reaching the village's western gate. Confused, the doctor complied and went off to fill out the forms, wondering what could possibly be wrong.

"Hinata-chan…. I'm, I'm normal again… I feel the energy, I have the chakra store still, but I'm not recharging. I'm… I'm not able to heal myself. The kyuubi chakra.. it's gone…"

"I know… we all felt it. It was as if the apocalypse came again… I'm just glad you didn't use your ultimate rasengan with that chakra… you could've leveled every ninja village in seconds…."

"It was that much?"

"Yes…"

The situation was indeed grim. Naruto was only a shell of his former power, no longer would he be able to carry out his plan… to stop the war. "Hinata… I need to be alone now."

'_What did I do, I won't be able to save them now. This war, I will not let innocents die, but now I can't stop it, can I? I no longer have the power… Al I have is myself.'_ Activating his eyes, Naruto held up a mirror and saw the 50 kanji seals in his eyes. He remembered his vow to Hinata to remove the caged bird seal, and now that he could, he would make sure to do it as soon as possible… but, would she still love him?

'_I just unleashed power beyond power… and now that Its gone.. all I have is memories'_ Expelling the power, Naruto saw his life flash before his eyes again, and saw the Kyuubi's. The Kyuubi was no bad creature, it was there for balance. It had been summoned by the man he'd let escape… The man in the black cloak with clouds, and with the red eye. The Kyuubi had been used, originally to start war, and now, the Kyuubi was dead, trapped and powerless in the underworld, its power slowly returning. He would be Hokage… if he couldn't even protect the strong, how could he protect the weak? If he couldn't get rid of Konoha's threats, how could he be a Hokage? Thoughts swirled, until he finally came to the conclusion. He would take the title, and earn it by protecting the people he loved, even those slightly misunderstood.

(Next Day)

"Tsunade-sama" Naruto said with surprising respect. "I request a unit of ANBU, one Special Jounin: Mitarashi Anko, and the aid of the head of interrogation to help me in an attack on Rock to neutralize it in the coming war."

"…You know, you got hit pretty hard.. You may be fine physically now, but maybe you got hit in the head or something. Let me check."

She started to get up, before Naruto moved up in front of her desk, and covered her hands with his, locking them to the desk. "Baa-chan, I'm not insane. I need to protect Konoha… It's my duty as the Rokudaime." Naruto said with fierce determination. The kanji in his eyes didn't light up, but there was fire behind them.

"Look, Naruto. I read your report from earlier today, I know an enemy escaped, I know you want to protect the people, but a suicide mission will not solve anything."

"It's not a suicide mission… I promise you, we'll all come back alive. It will only take two weeks."

"You don't have that much time." Tsunade said, dropping her worry for him and gaining worry for the village. "I was about to send out an order to mobilize our troops.. Rock and Cloud appear to be heading at Suna, Dust and Waterfall are set to attack us, Dust from the north, Waterfall from the south. We'll be split, we can't afford to let you go."

"I can cripple dust just as easily as I could rock. Please Tsunade… You can keep the ANBU if you need to, just give me Anko and someone in the interrogation department…"

"Naruto, its too dangerous to let you go. I'm sorry, but you don't have the Kyuubi for back-up anymore… It's just you."

"No, I'm sorry. If I can save Konoha from destruction, then I'll do it, with or without your authorization." Naruto said, then turned to leave.

Tsunade was about to call for ANBU, then stopped, remembering the Yondaime's performance in battle… "Just like his father" she muttered to herself… letting him leave.

(Jounin Lounge)

"I'mmm not drunnk, I'mm finnne." Said a rather distraught unbalanced, purple-haired woman on a barstool in the lounge. "Now gimme anotherrr."

"Mitarashi-san, no. Anymore you'll die from alcohol poisoning. Kakashi-san, think you can get her home?" said an annoyed bartender, holding Anko's arms away from the beer tap.

"No need, I got her." A voice said from near the door. Naruto stepped out from the shadows, wearing a black long-sleeved shirt, black ANBU pants, a black Jounin vest, and a black cloak with a hood which came to a point just above his eyes, covering his blond hair. Performing two quick hand-seals, Naruto's fingers began glowing green. Touching his fingers to Anko's stomach, he moved them in a quick pattern, then stopped. She immediately threw up, fortunately on the floor, and not Naruto. She wiped her mouth, then sat up looking angry. "What'd you do to me?!"

"Ejected the alcohol from your system. Now come, I need you for a mission."

She followed without questioning him, mostly because he was talking in a very serious manner, even leaking a little killing intent, and partially because she was curious. Leaving the bar, they began making their way to his estate. Noting the direction, Anko followed, though a bit more cautiously. Noticing the change, Naruto decided to interrupt her track of thought. "We're getting Ino for the mission."

Arriving at the estate, Naruto threw a Hiraishin kunai with all his might, with the help of Chakra, in the direction of the border. Naruto had Anko hide in the trees, and jumped up to the balcony off of Ino's room. Sliding through the door, he made his way to the bed where she was still resting. Shaking her awake, he saw a bit of the blanket fall off of her, showing that she slept naked.

'_kinky… wait, no time for that.'_ "Ino, wake up." Her eyes fluttered open, and she sat up quickly. Then, noticing the lack of clothing, she hastily covered herself, blushing brightly. "What is it, Naruto-kun?"

"A mission. Pack only what you need, and get fully equipped. We leave in 5 minutes."

"Leave where, Naruto?" A voice said from the doorway. There stood Temari, with Tenten and Hinata in the hallway, peeking inside.

"A mission."

"What kind of mission?" Temari asked sternly, wondering what he was doing going on one so quickly.

"It has no rank, and there is no time." Naruto said, reluctant to tell them where he was going…

"Where is it going to be, what are you doing there? Until you answer those, you aren't leaving." Taking the cue, Hinata and Tenten moved around Temari, and surrounded him. By this point in time, Ino was ready to go.

"I love you all." Grabbing Ino, he shunshined from the room to where Anko was, then grabbed both and used Hiraishin to get to the border, using the kunai pull of the Kunai he'd used earlier. They arrived in front of the Valley of the End, the kunai appearing to have blown through seven trees before lodging itself in a rock at the top of the valley.

"Here's what we're doing, since I'm sure you're wondering. Today we are going into the Dust village to neutralize it in the coming war. We get no back up, this is it. All we need to do is find the bases, and their kage tower in the village, and we can get rid of a lot of their troops. Anko, what I need you to do is go out into the woods and find a base, then put some chakra into this."

Holding up a Hiraishin kunai, Naruto gave it to Anko, who pocketed it. "When I get a signal from you, I'm going to come to you, and use 100 seal Inferno. With my eyes, it should take only an instant to use it. Afterwards, if all goes according to the plan, A large chunk of their forces will die, others will be wounded. We will capture one wounded, and bring him or her back with us to Ino, who will be here. If it's an officer, she'll probably be able to find the location of another base in the person's mind. Got all that?"

"Yes." Both responded, before Anko cast an invisibility jutsu on herself and launched off into Dust territory. "Good luck Anko…"

Standing next to each other uncomfortably, Ino decided to try to cheer him up some. "I know this is a mission, and I know why you're doing it, I'm just wondering, why?"

"Because it needs to be done." Naruto said in a monotone voice.

"You say that, but I saw your mind when you got back. Standard procedure, sorry." Ino said with an apologetic smile. "I saw what you feel for each of us, and why you fight. You don't have to be scared…"

She hit the nail perfectly, driving it into him. "I know… There is no beast anymore, but I'm scared for others… I can't help it."

"Naruto-kun, that's natural. You can still protect, even without Kyuubi's help." Ino said reassuringly.

Kie let out a green pulse, and Ino chuckled. "Looks like Kie agrees with me… There's something else I found though… Why haven't you removed Hinata's caged bird seal?"

"I can't." Naruto said, looking down.

"That's bullshit." Ino whispered to him.

He was certainly surprised, no one had ever said that to him before… well, no one close to him. "What do you mean that's bullshit? What do you know about sealing?"

"I don't know, but I know that you could if you wanted to, so why haven't you?"

He sighed, then waited a second before answering. Suddenly, he felt a tug in the back of his mind. Without a word he vanished in a yellow flash.

(base #1)

Anko slipped onto the roof of one of the barracks. The base was really more of a small outpost, holding mostly genin and chuunin, a few scattered jounin, and the base leader who was definitely high-jounin level. He'd almost seen through her invisibility genjutsu, but she'd moved out of the way just in time. Pulling out the small tri-pointed kunai, she put chakra into it until she felt it absorb it. Suddenly, in a yellow flash of light, Naruto appeared, all 100 kanji, 50 in each eye, burning white, contrasting against the dark blue background of his eyes. "**Fuin:100 seal inferno**"

Suddenly, the base below them was covered in seals, and Naruto let them all go off in just a second, pulling Anko off into the trees behind the base. A giant explosion was seen, fire shooting up in a spiral patterned illar from the center of the base. Dying down quickly, Naruto and Anko moved into the base, finding mostly charred corpses, and a few wounded jounin whom they killed because they found their main target, the base leader with an arm missing, blown off by one of the explosions.

"Well well, how is the leader of this fine outpost?" Naruto said sarcastically, while Anko prepped herself for battle.

"You won't get away with this. Dust will send reinforcements, we will kill you." The man said, the killing intent and bloodlust rolling off of him.

"Oh really? Well, wanna know why I'm not shaking?" Naruto asked, tauntingly. Reaching into his cloak and long-sleeved shirt, he pulled out a necklace. It was silver and gold, taking the shape of the Konoha leaf, within it was, in obsidian, the kanji for 'seal'. It was something he hadn't worn since he'd gotten back, nor shown to any of his friends or fiances, or even the Hokage, because they knew what it meant, as did the man in front of him.

"Symbol God of Konoha… For the great injustice you have caused, today you will die!" His killing intent rose to its peak, as he used his only remaining hand to do one-handed seals. His entire body began emitting chakra at a steady but slow rate, the chakra converting into fire. "Katon: Flame Body no Jutsu!"

Grabbing a kunai, the fire began emitting form it as well, and he charged. However, in his rage he forgot one thing, Naruto wasn't alone. Before he made it even two steps, a figure behind him stabbed two kunai into his arm, one from above near the shoulder, the other in the armpit, then pulled. The result: his second arm came off. He lost control of the technique, but lit himself on fire by accident.

Walking up to the man, Naruto projected a water conversion seal onto his hand from within his body, without the use of his eyes, the kanji of which were now back to black. Pumping some chakra to his hand, he doused the man with water, before grabbing him and stopping the bleeding with a morph seal.

Grabbing the man and Anko, they warped back to Ino, having been gone a total of 2 minutes. Ino used an advanced Shintenshin to look around his mind, then found a 'map' of locations. Giving Anko directions, they prepared to repeat the process, making sure to only hit the largest bases from then on.

As Anko set off, Ino turned to Naruto to continue the conversation from before. "Well? Why haven't you?"

"Look, Ino, I like you, you're a great person and I love you, but I'm not going to tell you." Naruto said, but thinking in the back of his mind that he forgot something.

"You realize I already know why and your reasoning, right? I mean, come on, mind-walker here."

Right, that's what he forgot. "Okay… I'll say it. It's because I don't feel it's right. I want her to be mine, but that's her attachment to her family, even if they don't want her. I'm to protect the village.. if I remove the seal, even as a future Hokage, it will cause problems. I can't remove it until I can get clearance to do it for the whole clan, or I can force it to be done as the Hokage. I'm not yet, I can't change the clans until then… I can't protect her from that."

"No, you can but you won't. I understand where you are coming from, but keep in mind, you told her you'd do it when you got back. She hasn't wanted to rush you, but maybe you should tell Hinata what you just told me… why you are going back on your word."

"Ino, I won't go back on my word, I said I would do it, and I will… but when I can. I promise."

"Oh, and Naruto… about the wedding…" He could tell she was uneasy, being in a relationship with someone who's getting married and all… to three people as of yet.

"Is it clear with Hinata?" Naruto asked.

"Y-yes…"

"Then… Ino, will you marry me?"

Before she could respond, Naruto felt a tug in the back of his mind, disappearing in a yellow flash of light.

(base #2)

Anko was having a much easier time with this base. It was better organized, most high level officers staying in specific building, and only the normal genin and chuunin, and a few rare jounin moving around. There was even a training field in the middle of the base, where many ninjas were practicing. The base, overall, was huge. Moving into position on top of the tallest building in the area, the command center which was about two stories tall, one of the few building that wasn't just a large or small tent, Anko pumped in the chakra.

Naruto appeared, and Anko covered his eyes before he could use the technique. "Today" Anko whispered playfully. "We learn how to aim."

Uncovering his eyes, she proceeded to point out the major targets, including the one they were on. Lighting up the 100 kanji seals of his two eyes, Naruto felt the slight drain. With this he would be at 65 percent of his total capacity. "**Fuin: 1,000 seal inferno**"

Placing 5 spirals of seals, 200 explosive seals in each spiral, each spiral centered around one of the four main command points, the fifth centered on the training ground, Naruto completed the technique in just 2 and a half seconds, then let off the explosion. He and Anko stayed on the only safe structure in the entire base, watching the fire of the explosion rise around them, as if they were in the center of a hollowed-out fireball. The explosions left no survivors, as made apparent by the fact that the rest of the camp was decimated. Most of the camp was simply disintegrated.

'_Disintegration, now there's a good idea.'_ Drawing a massive seal onto the roof of the building in just a few seconds, Naruto pumped chakra into it, then grabbed Anko and used the Hiraishin with Ino to get back. Seconds later, the inhabitants of the building felt a little odd, before they suddenly phased out, as did the rest of the building. If someone were to look at the base, they would see no sign of a struggle, they'd just see a big ring of burnt ground surrounding a white area.

(With Ino)

'_Will you marry me?'_ The words echoed in her mind again, as she pondered the question. She just wanted to be invited… She was planning to marry him sometime, but for god's sake, they'd basically just met… Then again, the wedding would be a good ways away… She'd overheard Hinata saying it would wait until the end of the war, no use trying to make a family during a war…

Suddenly Naruto appeared again. Ino quickly gave Anko directions to the last large base they would attack before moving on to the actual Village Hidden in the Dust. Anko nodded, then set out again, growing bored of running over her previous path before turning somewhere else, wishing she could use Hiraishin and just get there. But, Hiraishin wasn't exactly a sneaky Jutsu, nor was Naruto that good at being sneaky.

Naruto turned to Ino, to see she was slowly digging the tip of her foot into the ground, biting her lip and keeping her eyes down.

"Yes… I will." She near-whispered. She slowly walked up to him, then embraced him. She brought his head down to hers, and lovingly looked into his eyes, before planting a kiss on his lips. Surprised, he remembered what he'd asked her, then chuckled into the kiss, before allowing her to deepen it.

Clutching his hair in her hands, Ino pushed back the hood, and pushed his head closer, mashing his lips to hers. Then, pulling away, she spoke softly "But I'll need to get to know you better first. Still, wife of a Hokage sounds good."

Naruto chuckled again, then began to turn back to his stony demeanor so that he could remain focused, but that wasn't about to happen. "And you have to take me on a few dates, and prove yourself true to me as well, and be a gentleman, and tell me how long you are. I will marry you, if you know me, and let me know you. Till then, its on hold."

"Agreed. When we get back we go on a date, okay?" Naruto said, happy to have another in his life. So much love to spread.

"Well, how long are you?" Ino said, tapping her foot expectantly.

"Wait, you were serious? I'm not telling you. Wait till you get back to the estate, I'm sure Hinata would be more than glad to inform you." Naruto said, rolling his eyes and sighing at the last part of his sentence.

"Well then I'll have to find out, won't I?" Ino quickly moved up to him, kissing him again, and locking his right hand behind his head with the help of the rock she pressed him to. Lockjing his other arm with on of hers, Ino took her freed and reached down his pants, grasping his member.

"I'd say, soft 6 and a half, hard 8 to 9. Large." Naruto flushed bright red at being measured, and attempted to push her back, but she just distracted him with another long kiss, then pulled down his pants. However, before she could embarrass him further, Naruto felt a tug in the back of his head.

'_Oh god no'_ Naruto disappeared in a flash of yellow light, while Ino did a victory dance, knowing how proud Anko would be of her later for what she just caused.

(Base #3)

Anko snuck around the last large base. This one had only one large command center, and was only about 20 miles outside Hidden Dust. It had only Dust's troops this time, recognized by their forehead protectors with the Dust's symbol: a rock with clouds around it, to show its allegiance to its two founding villages.

Anko, finding a large tree outside the village, stood on it remaining invisible. It was fairly close to the village, close enough for it to be in range that is. There were multiple training fields, an armory, and tents for the residents, but aside from the command center, that was about it. Putting chakra into the tri-pointed kunai, she called for her demolition man.

Naruto arrived in a flash of light, falling down onto Anko because of a loss of balance. He rolled off her quickly, but she wasn't looking at him. She was looking down… because his pants were down… Naruto blushed bright red, and pulled them up. Before she could comment, Naruto interrupted her.

"Okay, we are in a tree. What am I 'aiming' for this time." He said, sarcasm apparent on the word 'aiming'.

"First off: Nice dick." He flinched. "Second, aim for the main command center near the back, the rest of it you can just wipe out. We'll need to leave very fast, some patrols have been coming and going."

"Affirmative." Naruto said, not wishing to risk any innuendo by saying 'gotcha.' Lighting all 100 kanji seals, noting that he'd gotten better at doing it quickly, taking only 2 seconds now, Naruto found that the whole base was just within range. "**Fuin 500 seal inferno**". The seals spread throughout the camp, and blew up, leaving only ruins. He was now at 40 percent of his full capacity, due to the range needed.

"Anko, drop the kunai." She did so, and they flashed back to Ino, who was smirking at them. Anko gave her a wink which Naruto didn't see, as his eyes were looking anywhere but at Anko. Suddenly, he grew serious.

"This is it. I'm sorry, but this is where the mission ends for you two. I'm doing this alone. I promise I'll come back, tell Hinata, Tenten, Temari… tell them I love them, and keep them safe. I'm sure whatever comes from this won't end perfectly."

They eyed him quizzically, but he looked away, lighting up his eyes. He used Ino's hastily drawn map to get to Dust in seconds, just out of view of the guards. Eating a few ultra-high calorie bars, Naruto ate until he was full, then took out a gift from Chouro. The three Akimichi pills. '_I only hope I won't have to use them'_.

Pulling out Kie, Naruto raced to the gate, where 10 ANBU prepared to stop him. With ease, Naruto Hiraishined around them, soon making 10 heads fall to the ground, feeding a now green-glowing Kie 10 more souls. Removing his cloak, Naruto pulled out the necklace, allowing it to bob freely on his chest.

"Let it begin." Naruto muttered to himself as two more squads of ANBU arrived.

(15 minutes later)

Naruto was inside the gate, having fought off over 30 ANBU to get there. He'd also ambushed two teams of genin running around without their sensei and knocked them unconscious. Children do not escape his wrath, if they can hurt his precious people, then they are enemies. He made his way through the bloody gate and into the street, killing the two hiding chuunin guards. Putting Kie away, Naruto prepped himself for battle hand-to-hand. Suddenly, some kunai caught his attention. Blasting them away with wind created by a conversion seal, Naruto was suddenly glad for Folivora's teachings.

(Flashback no jutsu)

"Naruto… There is another level beyond simply getting more eye seals." Folivora said, watching Naruto try to acquire more.

"Huh?" He asked, inarticulately.

"There is another way. It's called Body projection, it means to create seals on your body without the use of your eyes."

"Why would I want to do that? If I can't see it, what use is using a seal on it?"

"Come at me and find out." The queen sloth said eloquently.

By now, Naruto knew it was a bad idea to get into a seal-fight with the old sloth, if he did he would lose. So, speeding towards her he prepared a kunai, his eyes alight to counter any seals… or so he thought. The sloth held up one foot and on the bottom of it appeared a water-conversion seal, with immediately began shooting mass amounts of water at him, too much to dodge.

"See what I mean." She said in a booming voice, chuckling at his distaste at being wet.

"Yes, Folivora-sama." He replied incomfortably.

"Good, young one."

(Flashback Kai!)

Naruto looked at the source of the shuriken, and saw three jounin. However, they didn't look all that threatening. All at once they send a mass of sand at Naruto. However, they did basically nothing, as the boy was no longer there. Unsealing an ironing board with seals on it, Naruto flew up to the jounin, and as he passed by hit each of them with a disintegration seal, hitting one on the head, the other two in the arms they blocked with. With the chakra being pumped in, all three jounin died, as the two who had blocked with their arms were missing their upper torsos, and the last one lost his head and most of his torso. Naruto swirled around them, and decided that it would be best to simply get to the tower, but before he could he was blasted from behind by a fireball.

Quickly putting out the fire with water conversion seals on his back, Naruto flew over to the Hokage tower, before deciding to simply end the village as it was. He's seen no civilians in the village, only ninja, only enemies.

Downing the three Akimichi pills at once, Naruto felt as if he'd been stabbed in the stomach and through it with a rust spork, then lit on fire and struck by lightning in the gut, but also felt the chakra increase. Forming seals, Naruto made a chakra shield around himself, which jounin began to attack from afar, while Naruto made more seals. 457 seals later, Naruto shouted his technique, later called by its survivors: "Hell Rain."

"**Fuin: Disintegration Void**". Letting the barrier drop, Naruto felt the loss of chakra, as well as a few pointy things go into him, and a hit from a doton jutsu, but those stopped dead in a moment. A gigantic seal was projected on the ground beneath all the buildings, only bit of it visible. Jumping high off the tower, included in the technique, Naruto let the attack resolve. All buildings were instantly gone, as were all ninja who couldn't focus a sufficient amount of chakra to their feet. The attack left about three dozen jounin, 7 Squads of ANBU, a few Hunter-nin, and the Kage of the village… and a completely level area where not a single other survived. He'd definitely survived the attack… but would he be going back?

Naruto looked up at the shocked, angry faces, and saw before him the one person he least wanted to see at that moment, Kimimaro, Kage of Hidden Dust. He'd met him once on the border, and had to be save by Folivora whom Naruto summoned for protection, the man was just too strong.

"Well" The bone-man said. "I am glad I sent half my forces with Sasuke to help invade Konoha from the south."

"W-why would… y-you tell… me t-that?" Naruto asked weakly, searching for a Hiraishin kunai.

"Because I know you're out of chakra. Your organs have all but shut down, you can barely talk. There is no escape, oh great Symbol God… there is no Kyuubi. Now, you can rest proudly knowing that a pawn such as you took out a few chunks of the enemy… but is that worth it. You can protect no one, here you will die." The last Kaguya proclaimed, having changed much since becoming a leader.

"That's what you think." Naruto said, finally finding a Hiraishin kunai, the one near the last camp… Reaching down, he discreetly pulled out a soldier pill, but it didn't make it to his mouth. Kimimaro shot a bone into his hand, nailing it into the ground.

"Give me some credit. I almost killed you last time, I think I should rectify that mistake." He said, tauntingly.

"Y-you B-bastard." Naruto stated, still too weak to use Hiraishin, even at such short range.

"I'm a bastard? No, you haven't seen what I can do. You know my power, and I know quite a lot about you, Symbol God of Konoha. I know of your soon to be wives, and I'll make sure when we take care of Konoha they get 'special' treatment. I almost want to imprison you, just so I can make you watch my me repay you for what you've already done to this village."

"No." Naruto muttered, realizing he hadn't fulfilled his promise, he could protect them now."

"You're just a **DEMON!**" Kimimaro shouted, sticking three large bones into Naruto, trapping his other hand and his legs. Shooting a few bone bullets into Naruto, the Kaguya took great pleasure in just barely missing vital points.

Naruto felt himself getting weaker. He had to get away. _'I am no demon. Hinata… Tenten… Temari… Ino… Tsunade… I will protect you, I swear it. I will become Hokage, and I will save you… save you all. NOW!_'

"I AM NOT A DEMON!"

Gathering up a small amount of chakra, all that he could manage, Naruto warped back to the last base he'd been at, 20 miles away. Reaching into his equipment pouch, albeit slowly, he pulled out a soldier pill that escaped Kimimaro's notice, and swallowed it. Using the energy, he warped to the Hiraishin seal he kept in his estate, and dropped down onto the bed. Using the last of the energy, he pumped chakra to his various wounds, closing the largest ones, then fell asleep. He was soon discovered…

(Next Day)

Hinata came to the door of the Namikaze estate, having heard someone knocking on the door. She'd found Naruto the previous night, and he didn't seem to be in too bad condition, so she used what medical knowledge she had and then let him rest. He woke up, but didn't want to be bothered, apparently he had a lot on his mind, other than abandoning them the previous day. He apparently arrived back around 11 PM, so it was understandable he'd wanted to sleep.

Opening the door, Hinata found herself facing her father… looking just a little older than when he'd disowned her.

"By order of Tsunade's will, we are here to discuss a certain matter with Naruto."

"Wait… Tsu-tsunade-sama? Why her will?"

"She went to the south to help defend Konoha…. She died in action against what the remainder of the force says to have been an Uchiha…. The last Uchiha." His voice remained a monotone, but it was clear by the strain on his face that the loss of Tsunade affected him greatly. They got along well after a little while.

"Ah… I see…" Hinata was doing what she could to keep from crying, but a few tears slid down her cheeks nonetheless. Composing herself, she let him in, showing him to the living room where Tenten and Temari sat. As he passed by her to his seat he whispered "Classified Information", so Hinata motioned for them to leave, asking them to tell Naruto to come downstairs, no excuses.

"I see you've made a home for yourself… Hinata." Hiashi stated, looking around the room.

"Yes, Otou-san." Hinata said quitely.

"I am not your father. Don't call me that. You may very well be better off here, and you may have accomplished much, but you are no Hyuuga." His cold voice echoed slightly in the room, though it didn't have quite the same effect it used to have.

"Gomen, Hiashi-sama." Hinata responded, still quite, but not fearful. "But I am a member of the Hyuuga… I have the mark of one." With that, she lifted the headband, but soon felt it covered by something warm. "Na-Naruto-kun!"

Indeed, Naruto had just placed his right hand over her forehead where the mark was. Focusing, he lit his eyes, then allowed chakra to flow through the various conversions necessary.

"Hiashi-sama, I heard you outside the house, and I heard what happened to Baa-chan. I understand that I'm the next Hokage, correct?" Hiashi simply nodded before Naruto continued. "I will come meet the council tomorrow morning, 10 AM. Until then."

Hiashi caught the implication and prepared to leave. However, when he reached the door, Naruto called out to him. "Ah, and Hiashi-san" He twitched at the lack of 'a 'proper' honorific "You're right, she's not a Hyuuga."

Looking back at Naruto, he noticed he'd removed his hand from Hinata's forehead, which now had no seal. Naruto saw his disbelief, though he was trying to hide it, and decided to say words he'd wanted to for a long time. "As Hokage, my first order is to ban the caged bird seal and all affiliated seals used for controlling others. I ban your Seals of Fate."

End Chapter

Well, there ya go. The start of the next Great Shinobi War. Hope you liked it, and remember people, the more reviews I get, the more ideas, and the faster you guys get chapters. So keep up those reviews!


	24. Chapter 24

Seals of Fate

Hey all, we're nearing the end of this fic. Oh Noes! Well, it will only be a few more chapters anyway. Please feel free to check out my other fic, DH, which I will be writing in addition to this one. I hope you enjoy the chapter, we are building up to the climax. Also, tomorrow I am going on a college visiting trip, the first of many. Thus, there will be no more updates her until at least wednesday, Sorry guys, you'll have to make do with this. I expect lots of reviews when I get back.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its contents. If I did, Kimimaro would be way cooler than he already is.

Chapter 24: Hokage: Revolutionary, Leader, Protector.

It was everything Naruto had ever wanted. Full respect from the villagers, all of them. He was no longer the Kyuubi, and on the first day announced to the village that he no longer contained it or any of its influence… well, after his meeting with the council. There was a new council around nowadays.

(Flashback no Jutsu)

"Naruto" The head of the council, Homura, began. "We understand that you were named the new hokage by Tsunade, and as of today we are asking you to step down, name the next one. We're sorry, but no demon container can ever fully unite the village."

At the end of this statement, Homura found himself pressed against the wall, his neck in Naruto's firm grasp. "Excuse me, Homura-san" the blond haired man spat. "But I think I could easily unite them, considering I no longer contain the demon. I believe that a jinchuuriki can lead fine as well… how have relations been with Suna with that attitude of yours?"

It was true, negotiations with Suna had gotten worse lately, mostly because of the council's narrow minded view, but they would never openly admit that. "You forget your place here, we the council have authority."

"No, you forget your place. The council is an advisory to the Hokage, not the other way around. I am the most powerful ninja in this village, without the Kyuubi's aid, and I dare any one of you to challenge me on that."

The council was quiet, no one wished to defy him, especially when he had the withered old Homura in his grasp.

"That's what I thought. I no longer contain the Kyuubi or any trace of it, I have gotten to this power on my own, I hold a legendary sword, I have protected this village time and time again, I even know the 4th's two legendary jutsu, the Hiraishin and the Rasengan. I am the Rokudaime Hokage, and I have the right to replace members on the council when I come into office. Thus, the only people I want here are the clan heads and the primary members of the civilian council. Everyone else, including you, Homura and your other team mate… Get Out."

With that, Naruto turned and walked out of the council room, and no longer would he find any significant resistance against him in the council. However, Naruto also waited outside the room for Hiashi. When the old Hyuuga clan head walked out, Naruto grabbed his arm and Hiraishin'd them both to the Hyuuga compound.

"Have you fulfilled my ruling as Hokage? No more caged birds seals or affiliated seals?"

"It has been done… Hokage-sama." Hiashi said, still reluctant to giving Naruto such control of the clan.

"Good, now get them all out here, all of them including main branch members. I am going to place a different seal on them, it will make the bloodline impossible to get, but will cause nothing else."

Hiashi was unfazed by hearing this and just whistled to the guards, who proceeded to bring every Hyuuga out of the compound, where Naruto spent the next hour marking every one of them on their forehead with the new seal, a blue egyptian eye with a black cross through it. It was barely the size of a thumbnail.

When this was done, Naruto knew he would get no more resistance from the Hyuuga's… as Hiashi mouthed 'Thank You' to Naruto as he got marked as well.

(Flashback Kai)

Thus, there Naruto sat in the Hokage's office with 5 Kage Bunshins running around doing paperwork, while Naruto pondered what to do about the war…

Relations with Suna had gotten slightly better, and the public was accepting Naruto more, so rallying their combined forces wouldn't be that difficult. Unfortunately, they weren't exactly in the best of positions… Most of the force sent with Tsunade came back either injured or dead, and that was about a third of Konoha's forces. The half of Dust's forces they had encountered came off easier, as Konoha's morale went down after Tsunade's death. Today, Naruto was given the report on Tsunade's death by the one jounin to survive seeing it, Hatake Kakashi.

(Flashback no Jutsu)

"Naruto-sama… I don't think a written report will suffice, will it?" Kakashi said hopefully.

"No… it must be known how she died from a witness as well, so that we know how to best approach him in the future from your experience." Naruto said, though kindly, knowing it would be a hard tale to recount.

"Very well…." Kakashi said, taking a deep breath before continuing. "She died bravely, she died from a sword through the heart. The battle started off with a taijutsu battle, during which the Uchiha" he spat the name, "sustained several hits from Tsunade. His speed can be described as ANBU level, his strength at Mid-jounin. Then the real fight began."

Naruto was listening intently, not missing a word. He would fight this man, to avenge the previous Hokage, to save Konoha. Kakashi's face darkened. "He used Tsukuyomi. I don't know what he made her see, but instants later she was screaming. He put the sword to her throat, but she knocked it away and punched him, activating a medical jutsu and using it on her head. Unfortunately, the technique that she uses with the crystal on her head became impossible to use following the eye technique."

"I thought Tsukuyomi destroyed a target's mind…. She really was a strong-willed woman, wasn't she?" Naruto asked, mostly to himself.

"Yes" The cyclop-nin replied before continuing. "They both used their summons, apparently Sasuke got the Hawk contract, and began launching fireballs from above, dodging the acid from Katsuya, who was eventually forced to leave. Tsunade jumped up to stop him, and punched the bird down, forcing it to dispel as well. That was when he used it… He took out some sword, I don't know what it was, but it had a black blade and pulsed black like Kie pulses green. He used some technique to encase himself in a black orb, then attacked her in mid-air. The sword pierced her heart, she was dead. Sasuke looked like he was about to die as well, from exhaustion, but I couldn't attack him before more ninja arrived, we were forced back. The rest is in the report."

"Thank you… Kakashi-sensei." Naruto said, turning back to his work.

"It's Kakashi-san now, Hokage-sama…" he said, then bowed before shunshin-ing out. Naruto just shook his head and returned to work… planning her funeral, even without the body.

(Flashback Kai)

Naruto had finished planning the funeral, set for one day from then, already announced to the public. He was doing the work of… well… six Hokages thanks to his clones. He'd already seen her will, telling him to move on and rule as Hokage, even if she died, and he took it to heart. It was one of her last wishes, after all, and Naruto wasn't one to disrespect them.

Turning back to his work, Naruto looked at the troop positions, and the plan drawn up by one Nara Shikaku, the head strategist for Tsunade. Shikamaru's father… His IQ could only be beaten by his son's, who also had great expertise in planning battles, and wars. Heck, if that family was half as good at winning wars as it was at winning shougi, they wouldn't even need an army. Looking over the plan, Naruto found he agreed with the troop positions, and knew where he would have to go to meet either Kimimaro or Sasuke. The war could not afford to last long, Konoha couldn't afford it, so they were lucky the enemy was so aggressive. Approving of the plan, Naruto sent out the troop orders in the care of a squad of ANBU, and assigned the teams that would be in reserve for the main southern force. Going down the list of names, he found one that surprised him.

'Namikaze Naruto's team: Taltos Vladimir, Shinamura Asuka, Akimichi Chouro. Current Sensei: Hatake Kakashi.' Naruto saw his team had of course been given a new sensei, and that they had already apparently been sent into battle once. They'd all been promoted to chuunin for their performance in battle, and were officially promoted by the council already. The village could be quite efficient when it needed to be.

Looking out the window, Naruto made another clone to do that paperwork he had been going to do, then viewed the village. Far away he could see teams practicing, and ninjas leaping from building to building all over town. In wartime, the ninja population was quite busy. Lowering the hat that came with the Hokage's robes that he was currently wearing, Naruto looked at his feet. He was finally Hokage, and in a time of war he felt powerful, yet powerless. He could not stop casualties. In fact, the life of the village rested on his shoulders… Without the Kyuubi, did he deserve to be there? '_Am I still powerful enough to hold this title? I know I am strong, maybe the strongest in the village, but will I survive, or die in war… like the third, or the fifth?_'

Naruto soon felt a hand on his right shoulder. Looking to his side, he saw Hinata there, smiling brightly. "Don't worry… soon it will all be over, and we'll get married, and have kids, and everything will be fine again. I promise." She said, rubbing his shoulders.

"Thank you" He whispered back, then deciding to leave his clones to do the work, he picked her up bridal style and walked with her through the park, waving back to various people as they smiled and waved to him.

Getting about halfway down a brick walkway through a park, he stopped at a bench and sat down. Hinata in her lap blushing slightly. "You realize, with as good ninja as you all are, I'll have to send you into combat, right?"

"Yes… I know, but that comes with being a ninja, and we can't all just quite when a war comes along, especially in a position as important as ours. You couldn't force us to stay back if you wanted to."

"I know, and I wouldn't anyway, you live to protect Konoha, that's all our duties as ninja. Still… if one of you died… or worse, got captured… I don't think I could ever forgive myself."

"It won't happen… None of us are weak enough to be captured. Now stop worrying, think about it later. The next attack won't likely come for another week… Okay?"

"Okay… I'll try to relax… just, promise me I won't lose you."

"I promise, Hokage-sama. Now… has Hinata been a naughty girl?" She asked with a mischievous grin.

"Yes, very naughty. Let's get you home and punished right and proper." Naruto said, chuckling slightly, before picking her up again and setting off for home, it would be a very loud night, with one girl screaming his name, and three other girls moaning his name, curled up in bed, wishing the war would just end so they could get married and get their shot at him.

(Next Day)

Naruto, Temari, Tenten, Hinata, and Ino were all paying their respects to the Godaime Hokage. All had loved her very much, but none as much as Naruto. The funeral had officially ended over two hour ago, and though he promised on her will that he would move on, he couldn't stop staring at the empty casket. Her body had not been retrieved from the battle field, having been burned by a few jutsu until it was too unrecognizable to find. The rain which followed ensured that most bodies would be left on the battle field.

Naruto was finally left alone by his fiances, to stare at the empty casket, and there, for the first time in over a decade, he cried. Tears came slowly, but they came, sliding down his cheeks and dropping off into the puddles left by the rain which had started not long ago… The sky was dark, pouring rain fell but Naruto didn't care, he just wept along with the sky.

"Baa-chan… why? Why did you have to die? I'm not strong enough for this yet, to see loved ones die… To know that you died at the hands of a traitor who should've been long since killed…. Come back? I need you…. I need you damn it…. Damn it… DAMN IT!" His force steadily grew until he was shouting over the roar of the rain beating the ground around him. The shout echoed in the darkness of the day, but it helped little.

"I'm not ready for this… I always wanted to be Hokage… but not like this. How can I change the clans, to create the Konoha I wanted, when soon it will all be gone… How can I unite the people while war splits them apart. How can I do this?"

"You can do it by knowing you aren't alone in this… you have Konoha's support." A voice said from behind Naruto. Slowly turning around, he saw it was none other than Kakashi, squatting on the guard rail.

"Kakashi-san… I, I cant do this." Naruto said, wiping the tears from his face, slowly stemming the flow.

"Yes… Yes you can. From what I saw from Sasuke you have long surpassed him… You are the son of the 4th, and at least his equal, if not stronger. Konoha is behind you in this war, as is Suna, the same way we support Gaara for his help…"

"Kakashi-san.. thank you, really, but I just need time to think… give me that, it's all I ask."

"Just don't kill yourself over this, you'd disappoint those pretty wives of yours." With those 'wise' words, he left, after paying his respects, while Naruto briefly thought '_he's even late to funerals! Sheesh!_'.

Naruto pulled out Kie and decided to mediate, for the first time since he'd lost Kyuubi and its power, just to clear his mind.

(Mindscape)

Naruto appeared before a giant empty cage, the one which used to contain the Kyuubi. He hadn't known he could still come here when the Kyuubi was gone, but that wasn't what surprised him. In front of him was someone he'd never seen there before. A woman.

She had long red hair, wavy and stretching down to her lower back. She wore a blue cotton tunic over a white shirt, and black cotton pants, embroidered with diamonds. Around her neck she wore a necklace with a diamond attached. She was very beautiful.

"Who are you?" Naruto asked, rather inelegantly.

"Wrong question." She responded in a voice that seemed to come from everywhere. "What you mean to ask is 'What are you?'." She corrected.

"Fine. What are you?" Naruto asked, rolling his eyes. She seemed to take offense to this, and smacked him across the face, sending him back into bars of the cage. Naruto got up and quickly moved away, before remembering there was no fox there.

"I am Kie, by your language, and I am a sword forged from Amorphia. This is the skill I offer you now." She said, while putting the necklace around his neck. "I won't exist in here except when you use Kie in combat… I meant to give you this gift a long time ago, but your fox presented interference, I could get no connection. For now, I'll just tell you how to create it. Just hold Kie or have Kie touching you, and push chakra into it. Chakra will come out again, but this chakra will take the form of Amorphia. This is Aliera's gift to yo, her having been my only true wielder before you. Use it well."

She began to fade out, as Naruto shouted a question. "What is Amorphia?"

She said it loudly, but growing softer as she eventually faded. "Amorphia… Anti-matter… you figure it out."

Naruto was about to shout out another question, but she was already gone. Naruto was thrown out of his mind again, and looked at the sun. The sky had cleared and the sun was setting, he'd been there for around three hours… Deciding that was enough, Naruto made a few more clones and sent them to finish his work for the day, then went home. Arriving there, he didn't even make it to his bed, he just flopped down onto a couch and fell into a dreamless sleep.

(Next Day)

Naruto woke up to find a blanket over himself, a hot cup of coffee on the table next to him, and some eggs. Reaching over, he began his breakfast, but soon stopped when and angry Temari walked in.

"It's bad enough you had to ignore us last night because you were tired, but now you eat my breakfast?! I swear, if you weren't so cute I'd be out of here. Gone! You hear me?!" She said, clearly exaggerating but angry nonetheless.

"Gomen, Tema-chan… I didn't know they were yours." Naruto said, yawning but continuing to eat the eggs and drink the coffee despite Temari's fading glare.

"No.. it's okay. I'm just glad you're fine. Now, Naruto-kun, you better go get me more eggs. I made you breakfast… apparently… so you better make mine!"

She was pulling him off the couch, but didn't get him halfway off before he said something she'd never thought she'd hear.

"I'll offer a trade. If you make your own breakfast, I'll do Volume 1: chapter 16. It's not technically sex, so we're in the clear… Whaddya say?"

She dropped him, blushing a shade of red deep enough to make a tomato jealous, and walked up the stairs to her bedroom, not saying a word. Naruto called up to her "Is that a yes?" but was met with a loud "PERVERT!" being shouted down the stairs. A few minutes later he thought he heard something from her room, and thanks to the advanced senses he'd gotten from the Kyuubi which were, thankfully, still there, he was able to make out someone moaning the name "Naruto-kun".

Chuckling, Naruto finished his breakfast and decided to have a little fun. Going out to the hot springs, Naruto undressed and wrapped a towel around his waist. Sliding into the spring, he made a few clones and sent them up to Temari's room, which was, fortunately, on the side of the hallway near the hot springs, having a balcony.

The clones hopped up the balcony and peered into the dimly lit room, where they saw exactly what Naruto thought. Temari was on her bed, her pants and panties off, rubbing her fingers against her pussy. The clones sprang into the room when she closed her eyes, and grabbed her, then chucked her into the springs. Of course, she knew it had to be a prank, since only Hinata, Tenten, Ino, Naruto, and a few choice others could get into the estate, but this didn't make her any less worried.

With a loud splash the wind mistress landed rather uncomfortably in the spring. Her white T-shirt now adhered to her, completely see-through, while her lower regions were completely uncovered. Her pants and panties had been completely taken off during the throw. Getting up, she wiped the water from her eyes, and looked around. Getting out, she was caught halfway as a pair of arms encircled her… pulling her back in.

"Well, Temari-chan… you didn't say no. Chapter 16 in 'What I want to do with Naruto' then?" Naruto whispered into her ear seductively. She blushed, as his clones were dispelled. He pressed her to the side of the spring, where he removed her shirt and threw it off to the side to join the rest of the clothing. Moving his hands up slightly, he pushed each one against one of her breasts, rubbing them softly and eliciting soft moans from her. After a few minutes of this, Naruto snaked one of his hands down near her clit, but stopped there. He let the hand wander around the area briefly, before moving around her and resting on her butt. Squeezing tightly, she let out a short scream, before he stopped and backed away from her, leaving her panting slightly on the edge of the spring.

"Now, now, Tema-chan. No more on that until we're married, Hinata's rule. I'm going to the office, see you." With that, Naruto moved out of the spring, grabbed his clothes, and went inside… or would have if not for a pair of arms encircling him.

Temari moved up behind Naruto, catching him, then flipping him around and mashing his lips to hers. She reached into his towel and pushed it off, grabbing onto his manhood and giving it a few short strokes. She took the pre-cum on it and brought it up to her mouth, licking it off. She then took a still shocked Naruto into another kiss, brushed his manhood and leaned in, whispering in his ear "No more until we're married, Hinata's rule."

Temari then brushed past Naruto, shaking her hips seductively as she went. Naruto was still sanding there, watching her bare ass go, until he remembered he had to be at the office. He rushed to dry off and get dressed, then used Hiraishin to get to the Hokage tower quickly.

Work at the tower went like usual, handing out missions in the early day, then doing paperwork later in the afternoon, until 7 when he got Ichiraku ramen delivered. At 10, Naruto went home again, collapsing on his bed and falling asleep, cuddling up to Hinata as well.

The next few days passed like this, until the attacks began again, and Naruto decided to execute his plan… It was time to end the war against Konoha.

Going home early with the report of the enemies whereabouts, Naruto prepared the speech he'd been repeating over and over in his head since he thought of it at the funeral. Entering his home, he went to the dining room to find the four of them having dinner. He studied all of them briefly….

Tenten was wearing a red chinese dress with a gold dragon embroidered on the right side. Her hair was in two buns. She was delicately eating a salad, and looked more beautiful than ever. To her right was Temari, who turned pink in embarrassment from their encounter a few days ago. She was wearing the same plain white T-shirt, and a tight pair of jeans, her hair was down and wet, she'd probably showered recently. She was also not-so-delicately tearing into a baked potato. Across from her was Ino, who had become used to living there. She had her hair in a long ponytail, with one large, gravity-defying length of hair draped over the front of her face. She was wearing a purple T-shirt and tight, light-blue faded jeans which showed off her rather attractive legs. Lastly, next to her, was Hinata. Her long, dark blue hair stretched to her lower back, perfectly straight and silky. She was also wearing a white T-shirt and a denim skirt with was short, reaching to only mid-thigh. She was eating like a bird, taking small bites slowly, yet at the same time seemed to be consuming the same amount of food as everyone else… something which still puzzled Naruto.

Clearing his throat, Naruto got all their attention, them knowing it must be important if he was back early and not yet joining them for dinner, since they always made enough for him…

"Tonight, I leave to end the war with Dust… I am going to fight their first in command, then move down to the second part of their troops and fight their second. With both gone, a Suna reinforcement and our troops can either wipe them out or force a surrender. I love all of you, from the bottom of my hearts. If I don't return…move on, don't dwell on me. Don't try to stop me…"

He was crying by the end of it, but hid the tears by turning away. Naruto quickly ran from the estate, perhaps for the last time, and left to gather his personalized guard. Akimichi Chouji, Nara Shikamaru, Hyuuga Neji, Inuzuka Kiba, they would escort Naruto to the first fight.

Meeting them at the north gate, they got the okay from the guards. Kakashi was left in charge, his assistants being Nara Shikaku and Hiashi Hyuuga. Fortunately, Kakashi had given them clearance, even if Naruto didn't really need it. They set off for their next location, the secondary arms force of Dust, headed by their Kage…. Kaguya Kimimaro.

(Next Day)

They had been traveling for several hours, at about half speed to conserve energy, before finding the first signs of resistance. Running into a few patrols, they quickly took them out and incinerated their bodies to leave no trace.

Moving past the patrols, Naruto brought them all to a halt about a mile outside the confirmed location of Kimimaro. Noting the amount of strength that would be required to take the camp, Naruto decided it wasn't worth it to waste too much chakra. Moving to the front of the pack of them, they moved again, this time slowly, until they were within range of the camp. Lighting up all 100 seal kanji, Naruto felt the drain on his chakra. 10 of his chakra and a **Fuin: 100 seal Inferno** later, the camp was blown up, and only the Kage remained, standing amongst the flames and burning corpses. Naruto brought his personal guard to a halt and told them to spread around the area.

Jumping down into the burning, destroyed cam Naruto faced his opponent, the man you had him on the ropes last time. Standing 6'1", only an inch shorter than Naruto, the bone master faced him.

"Hello, Kimimaro. How good to see you again." Naruto said, casually.

"Ah. Rokudaime Hokage. Always a pleasure. I see you live up to your nickname… Bringer of Apocalypse."

"Ah, but I must. I wouldn't want to get rusty on that technique, now would I?" Naruto replied, seemingly unfazed. In reality, the killing intent leaking off the both of them was great enough to scare the living shit out of even the most hardened ninjas. Chouji was close to wetting his pants, while the other three felt cold shivers down their spines.

"Now then, I assume you came to me for a reason…. Namikaze…" The Kaguya warrior inquired.

"Why yes… I am here, to end the war." This statement unwittingly sent the Kaguya into a short bout of chuckling, until he explained himself.

"End the war? Well, then you'd best kill Sasuke, not me. I may be in charge of the village, but he is keeping our military going."

"Either way, you had to be dealt with eventually, and I think I know just how to do it."

That's when the battle began. Naruto charged in so fast he could've broken the sound barrier, but when he punched at the Kaguya, it was blocked rather nastily by a bone piercing a knuckle.

"I see I need better tactics than that." Naruto said, dodging a few slashes from the Kaguya.

Creating a 50 clones, Naruto prepared to mob the man, to find out his weaknesses. However, he was stopped when Kimimaro formed three seals and put his hands to the ground. Instantly, he muttered "Bone Clones" as several skeletons rose out of the ground, before taking the form of the Kaguya.. The five skeletal warriors proceeded to tear through Naruto's clones, sustaining hits but not disappearing. Taking out a kunai, Naruto threw it at a clone while dodging away from Kimimaro, but the clone took it to the head and remained alive, no poof…

This is when Naruto got more serious. Pulling out Kie, he charged, swiping off the heads of all five of the bone clones, hearing a satisfying poof as he saw them disappear.

"Nice trick, Kimimaro, if only your little friends could take a decent hit to the head. Oh w-"

Naruto stopped talking, mostly because a bone was just stuck through his right arm. Turning around quickly, he saw the Kaguya warrior jumping away with a bloodied forearm bone being discarded.

"Lucky shot" Naruto muttered, before charging back into battle, clashing with the bone-user several times a second.

Growing weary of the kenjutsu battle, Kimimaro jumped away and began forming handseals, but before they were complete a rasengan was driven into his back from a well placed clone. "Ooh, rookie mistake" Naruto commented, before charging, Kie in one hand, a rasengan in the other. Except… this rasengan was different. It had all the colors he'd ever seen, and some he didn't know existed. However, he didn't have long to study this creation before it was right in front of him. Doing a quick replacement, he saw the body he'd replaced himself with get utterly destroyed, disintegrated, while Naruto shouted "Amorphia Rasengan!" (Life Source Swirling Ball)

Naruto was quickly in front of the Kaguya again, swinging Kie like a madman… a skilled madman. Blocking, he fired several bullets of finger joints at the blond-haired man, but they were dodged. Rushing forward, he feinted right, then stuck the bone fist into Naruto… before he poofed away. '_A clone!'_ he though briefly, before receiving a kick to the back of the head.

"Well, well. The great Kaguyas aren't so great after all." Naruto taunted. However, he didn't see the Kaguya making more handseals while getting up. He shouted his techniue, one that he knew Naruto would hate… "Kinjutsu: Bone World!"

They were soon in a world full of bones, a genjutsu that they could move around in freely. "This… Rokudaime Hokage… is my world. Whatever happens here will affect our minds outside.. If you die here, you die there. Ready?"

The Kaguya didn't wait for an answer, instead sending wave after was of bones at Naruto from all directions. Some were dodged, some weren't. Needless to say, by the end of the assault, Naruto was fairly battered and bruised. Continuing the assault, the Kaguya sent more waves, until the blond-haired man looked like he'd die from blood loss sooner than dysfunction. However, in his mind, Naruto was just beginning. Taking some amorphia he'd charged, Naruto performed the one medical jutsu he knew, and it actually healed him as fast as the Kyuubi.. until the amorphia ran out and it was back to normal speed again.

"This may be your world.. but you can die here too." Naruto lit up all 100 kanji in both eyes and began shooting explosive seals at the Kaguya, landing a few on him directly and blowing him into some other bones on the wall, which stuck him there long enough for Naruto to lodge Kie into his right shoulder, dispelling the technique.

"Quite a fight you put up. Let's try this!" Naruto made a few hand seals before creating a wind conversion seal on his right hand and announcing his technique. "Fuuton: Great Breakthrough!" The wave of wind pushed back the Kaguya until he was ripped apart, to reveal a skeleton. Naruto quickly jumped to his side, dodging a fireball. Firing back a few water bullets, Narto didn't expect any to hit.. as they were block by a shield of earth.

Making a few more hand seals, Nauto began charging Kie to the limit, knowing that soon the climax of the battle would come, and Naruto would need all the amorphia he could get. "Katon: Fire Dragon no jutsu!"

A gigantic dragon spurted from Naruto's mouth, but was blocked by a water dragon from the Kaguya, the steaming mist soon sent Naruto's way by a wind jutsu. Naruto dodged out of the way, but barely caught the edge of hit, his arm receiving only minor burns. The pain wasn;t too bad at this point, but that was one advantage the Kaguya had, with a constantly regenerating body, pain just lasted a shorter amount of time. Making a few more hand seals, Naruto sent a wind dragon towards the Kaguya, but it was blocked by a water shield. The barrage of jutsu continued for another minute, before they stopped, the battlefield further blown apart, the remains of corpses and littered bones were few.

"What say we get this over with quicker?" Naruto called across the field, breathing hard. Making five hand seals, Naruto slammed his hands to the ground and called out "Kuchiyose no Jutsu" at the same time as the Kaguya. Suddenly, a giant sloth and a giant dragon popped into existence.

"**Naruto, why did you call me here?**" Folivora asked. The queen of sloths was not pleased, but knew when it was time for combat, lighting all her 100 eye seals, the same as Naruto.

"My queen… I needed your help for combat" Naruto said, stroking the top of her head gently, his own eyes burning just as brightly. Meanwhile the Kaguya warrior stood motionless atop the dragon lord, Echiola, while they watched the sloth and its eyes.

"**Kimimaro, I see you seek aid, but against the sloths? You couldn't handle such lazy things yourself**"

"Pardon me, Echiola, I didn't know what he would summon" Kimimaro said, chuckling inwardly at the hairy ape-like being before him. However, this was the wrong thing to say, as the combat began.

"**Echiola, do not underestimate us. Dodge this. Fuin: Void Rain!**"

Thousands of gravity seals appeared on Echiola, all to the maximum, pushing him to the ground so that he was bowing to the queen of sloths. "**Good dragon. Bow to your queen**" Folivora said tauntingly.

However, Echiola wasn't one to take such crap. Using his will to stand up straight… well, as straight as dragons can, he breathed out fire, which Folivora narrowly dodged. "**Fuin: 100 seal inferno**" She announced, blowing off one of Echiola's wings. The dragon howled in pain, but continued fighting. Regrowing the wing, he took flight, free from the gravity seals, Echiola breathed fire down upon the sloth queen, who narrowly dodged again. Several fireballs later, Folivora was hit, but most of the damage was absorbed by an amorphia powered rasengan from Naruto which sucked in the power.

"Folivora-sama, shall we finish them off? Maneuver 6."

"**Hai youngling**" Folivora responded, dodging more fireballs while the Kaguya smirked down at them. At once, both Queen and student shouted their technique. "**Fuin: Joint Seal Dispel!**"

In a burst of smoke, Folivora was gone, but so was Echiola, as the Kaguya dropped to the ground. He cushioned his fall with chakra, but by this point both of them were low on chakra, so he didn't waste too much.

"What do you say we end this, Kimimaro?" Naruto called over, in between breaths. The Bone-user didn't respond in words, but nodded and began performing seals.

Naruto began a long string of seals as well, charging it with stored amorphia. These techniques had never seen the light of day, nor would they ever again if the world was lucky.

They finished at approximately the same time, Kimimaro shouting his first. "Kinjutsu: Mass Bone Dragon no jutsu". 15 Dragons made of bone began hurtling towards Naruto at nearly the speed of sounds. However, just before they got there, Naruto finished his technique, and opened his eyes, praying inwardly that it would work.

"Kinjutsu Fuin: Amorphia Void"

Suddenly, a massive seal appeared before Naruto, encompassing all 15 dragons and the Kaguya. It lit, and a dome was formed around the area, covered in amorphia, All the dragons and the Kaguya were instantly vaporized, gone with no chance of revival. However, immediately after, Naruto fell to his knees, unable to contain the dome any longer as it exploded outwards, blowing him back through many trees. The last thing he saw before fading into unconsciousness was the battered faces of his guard…

(Next day)

Naruto awoke still on the ground. Looking in front of him, he saw where his battered body had been thrown nearly a thousand feet through trees, rocks, and skipping off the ground from the force of the explosion. Mentally kicking himself for using a move he still couldn't control, he let out a sigh. Soon, standing over him, was Chouji.

"Hey bud, how ya feeling?" Chouji said with a grin.

"How do you think?" Naruto grumbled out. All his joints felt sore, and his chakra was only half full. "Neji is also a medic, isn't he?"

"Yes I am" Came a voice from Naruto's other side. He turned to see Neji standing there, palms glowing green as he moved them over Naruto's body.

"So… let me rest for a few more hours, then we make our way to the southern front… all I need to do is beat the Uchiha…" Naruto said, before trying to fall asleep. However, this was interrupted by Kiba.

"Actually, we may as well go back to Konoha to patch you up. The assault on the south stopped a day ago when they broke through our forces. The strike force from Suna to clean up this area is already on its way, so we may as well get you back and wait for the next attack… or you can wait on the southern front."

"Ah… so that's what's going on… All of you, go find the strike force and aid it, I can get back to Konoha myself."

"Hai, Naruto-sama." They all disappeared in a various clouds of smoke. As soon as they were gone, Naruto called out to the seemingly empty woods: "You can come out now."

Kimimaro stepped out from the shadows, no longer hiding his presence. He was apparently blow back from the attack as well, getting hit with some of the amorphia. "I will fulfill Orochimaru's will, I will kill the one who killed him."

"Yeah, I figured that was why you were into the fight" Naruto responded, dragging himself to his feet. "I don't suppose this can end with words, can it?"

"We both know this can only end with blood. Though I must congratulate you on that technique, almost didn't have time for the substitution." Kimimaro said, slightly impressed.

"Let's get this over with…and you should be honored, you're the first person I've ever tried to use that technique on."

"Yes, honored. Well, let me let you feel honored as well." Going through a long string of handseals, Naruto used the few seconds he got to pump out some amorphia through his body as medical chakra to heal himself. Grasping Kie, he prepared for the assault to follow.

"Kinjutsu: Bone Dragon Transformation." Suddenly, Kimimaro began growing in odd proportions. A set of bat wings made of bone grew from his back. He expanded, growing a long tail also made of bone. His legs became longer and bent, in a reptilian fashion, his back arching, face elongating, and soon he was no longer Kimimaro, he was just a dragon made of bone. He let out an Earth-shattering roar and charged the now healed Naruto.

Naruto dodged out of the way, but was hit from the side by the tail, a few spikes entering his body before he was slammed into a tree. The beast roared again and charged. Naruto, holding up his sword, prepared to block it, but didn't have the strength to. The tail swept around again, hitting him in the stomach and sending him back through a tree and into a rock. Naruto was dying, bleeding profusely, even while making amorphia and using it to heal the internal wounds he knew he wouldn't last long.

The tail came barreling around again, but this time Naruto barely found the strength and dodged, hearing the explosion behind him. Lighting up his eyes, he barely got up to 15 lit before he felt the drain, slowly eating at his chakra. Pushing himself up to 25 seals in each eye, Naruto turned and charged at the dragon, Blocking the tail with his sword and jamming it into the Dragon's chest. Channeling chakra into Kie, he began to draw out Kimimaro's soul, taking away his arms, then legs, tail, wings… slowly, with each second passing Naruto received more wounds as he tried to push Naruto off.

Soon, the soul was drawn out, and Kimimaro fell to the ground lifeless. In his last moments, Naruto pulled Kie from the dragon's body, and used what amorphia he could to heal himself internally before collapsing. One day later they would be found again by the strike force, and the Rokudaime Hokage would be taken home once again.

(Two days after the battle)

Naruto awoke to the sight of his loved ones. Hinata was on a chair by the bed, holding his hand in hers while she dozed. Tenten and Ino were on his other side, already asleep, while Temari, apparently, the boldest of them all, was snuggled against his backside. Noting he was still very tired, and that it was almost midnight, Naruto fell asleep again, waking up another 12 hours later.

Wking up at noon, he found himself still in Temari's protective grasp, except now Hinata was on his other side, while Ino and Tenten were apparently off doing something else. "Hello… you two… nice pillows."

They didn't stir, just kept on sleeping, while Naruto tried to carefully remove himself from their grasp. However, as soon as he got out of one girl's arms, the other would wrap theirs around him. Soon he heard giggling coming from the two, and realized it was their little game.

"Alright you two, up." Naruto said.

"Awww, but Naruto-kun, aren't you happy we both want you?" Temari said, pouting cutely.

"I'd be happier if I could get out of bed. I need to go to the bathroom."

"Then hold it, we need a big soft pillow." Temari said again.

"Hai, Naruto-kun" Came Hinata's soft reply. He couldn't tell if she was awake or just talking in her sleep, but Naruto was in no condition to fight. He decided to hold it, waiting another hour until they got out of bed so that he could use his bathroom. By that point he just barely made it.

Showering, he came out in a towel, got dried and dressed, then went downstairs to join his four fiances for lunch… However, when it was finished, he heard a knock at the door. Going to the door, Naruto saw the last thing he wanted to see that afternoon. A chuunin messenger was holding a letter from Kakashi…

Opening it, Nauto began to read.

_Hokage-sama,_

_This letter is to be given to you as soon as possible. I took a barracks of our ninjas to the southern front to fight, but we keep getting cut down or retreating. They can't hold that front much longer, we need you to stop Sasuke, we can't take him. Please, when you get this, take what you need and meet at our southernmost outpost, if we can't hold them there, then they'll be at Konoha by the time you arrive. Konoha believes in its Kages, for their protection. Now we need yours._

_Kakashi_

Naruto was back to the table in a flash. He let the letter drop on the table before he kissed each one of them on the lips, taking a little more time for Hinata before dashing upstairs. Grabbing his ninja equipment, he got himself fully equipped. White coat, black long-sleeved shirt, Green jounin vest, all three sealing belts, black ANBU pants, black combat boots, and Kie on his back. Naruto dashed back downstairs then left the building, taking out a Hiraishin kunai and chucking it as far as he could south. Waiting a few minutes, Naruto went to the Hokage's office and left a letter telling Hinata she would be in charge, to be delivered officially tomorrow. She didn't need the pressure now.

Naruto then found the pull of the Kunai and in a flash was there. He briefly congratulated himself on his aim, recognizing the southernmost camp only a few dozen yards away, however, he stopped congratulating himself when he saw the state of the base. Konoha ninja were running away from… something. Naruto could feel the killing intent wash over him as he got closer, and as soon as he entered, he saw the source, the man he was looking for, with his sword…. in…..Kakashi's chest….

"KAKASHI!" Naruto shouted, rushing to the battlefield. However, the man was already long dead, his skin clearly pale. The figure with the sword soon dropped the corpse, before turning to Naruto. With two red eyes with a shuriken shape in them, the figure, long black hair, wielding a black-edged sword… Uchiha Sasuke.

End Chapter.

Hope you liked it. Remember, no more updates on either of my stories until Wednesday at least. Sorry. Please review though, I like reviews.


	25. Chapter 25

Seals of Fate

Hey all. Just got back from my college searching trip to New York. It was fun, for sure. Got to see relatives as well. I know there are questions, and I'm sorry but I have to give the same answer as usual: Wait and see, all is revealed in time. Since that is out of the way, on with the story. This, is the last chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of its contents…. Yet…

Chapter 25: Bringer of the Black Dawn, Rebirth.

"Well, well. The Rokudaime Hokage, also known as the Symbol God of Konoha, wielder of the Great Weapon Kie, the Soulstealer's weapon, Namikaze Uzumaki Naruto, exactly who I wanted to see." Sasuke announced loudly, pushing the corpse of Kakashi off his sword. Before it even hit the ground it was in Naruto's hands, cradled in his arms while Naruto stood resolutely where he'd been before.

"Uchiha Sasuke, traitor of Konoha, S-rank missing nin, and apparently the wielder of another Great Weapon. Your sins are too heavy, here you will die, for Kakashi, for Tsunade, for the sake of Konoha." Naruto said, speaking in the same ominous tone. Their eyes met and locked, each with fire blazing behind their glares, until Sasuke looked down again, re-sheathing his sword while Naruto put Kie away, having drawn it subconsciously.

"You were always in the spotlight weren't you, getting power that rightfully belongs to me. Today I will get my revenge, your doujutsu is no match for my own." Sasuke raised his head, his Mangekyou Sharingan eyes meeting Naruto's eyes, which now had all 50 seal kanji in each eye lit.

"You're a fool and a traitor. I worked for my power, whereas you tried to steal yours from others. How's that cursed seal on your shoulder working, with its creator dead?" Naruto said maliciously.

Sasuke tried to draw the power from the seal on his shoulder, but found that it was gone, no trace of it left… which could only mean Kimimaro was dead. "I didn't need his power anyway" Sasuke said, a little less confident than before. "My own still surpasses you, now that you have no demon. You cannot borrow power either."

"This is true, but my own surpasses that of the demon." Of course, this was not true, but it still carried some effect, no one really knowing Naruto's true power.

Their voices lowered to a whisper across the battlefield. All the Konoha had long since fled, one of them taking Kakashi's body from Naruto as he passed. Naruto had done what he could, and it appeared the copy ninja was only in a near-death state, thanks to various blood restoring seals and healing, administered by Naruto through seals in his hands while the conversation took place.

"You know, I once actually believed that your doujutsu could outclass my own, until I found the next level. You see… after you released your demon, I headed toward the signature and lucky me." Sasuke began. "I found the last remaining sharingan user besides myself, the first to possess it: Uchiha Madara…"

Naruto's eyes widened in shock at this… _the man must have been over 200 years old… how could he be alive?_

Sasuke chuckled slightly at Naruto's shock, before continuing. "Oh yes, he is indeed very old… or was" Sasuke said, putting emphasis on the 'was'. "Do you happen to know what happens if a Mangekyou user absorbs the Mangekyou of another top user? They reach the next form. This is what I show you now… They will be the last eyes you ever see… Mangekyou Sharingan: Hell 2"

Sasuke's eyes changed… from the normal Mangekyou into something far more fearsome…. Changing, morphing, the three pointed shuriken of the once feared 'ultimate' sharingan became a pentagram.. a normal sharingan in the center, whirling rapidly. Sasuke made two slow handseals, in which time Naruto made five as they called out they most powerful techniques simultaneously.

"Tsukuyomi Hell."

"100 Seal Mind Rebirth."

(Naruto's Mindscape)

Naruto was on a cross, a giant nail through both his hands, trapping him on the stake. His legs hung limply. Suddenly, a hungry pain erupted on his left thigh, eating at his flesh and burning it away until his leg was gone. Naruto looked down and saw his leg reforming, bloodied, and saw the retreating hand of something that couldn't be described as humanoid… just… demonic. Naruto looked up and studied his surroundings.

He was… for all intents and purposes, in hell. Fire was lit in a circle around him, demons just around it, most with either pikes or elongated arms, allowing them to reach him. The retreating hand belonged to a gangly demon, his tongue protruded from his mouth. He had short red horns growing in a crown-like pattern from his head. His thin body showed no muscle whatsoever, his long arms just as bare. His hands had six fingers each, each tip ending in a claw. His legs were hairy, and he was wearing but a loin cloth. His feet were also clawed. His skin was all completely red, like fire. Ironically, in his left hand, he held up an orb… of fire. Many of the other demons had human-like proportions and were wearing much the same, but Naruto had little time to contemplate this, as the demon that had attacked him before stuck out his hand containing fire, and pushed it into Naruto's chest, dragging it slowly down his body, melting much of it away.

The pain was excruciating. Naruto's nerves were ultra sensitive, even the prick of a needle could have caused him to pass out. The fire being dragged through his body drove him to the limit… but he couldn't fall unconscious.. so he did all he could: he screamed out in pain, his lungs regenerating so he could keep screaming forever, the tortured soul that he was.

This continued for a whole week in Naruto's mind… before something changed. The demons before Naruto left, as the ground trembled. Naruto thought the technique must have been ending… which would be good, since his mind was practically broken. However, he was not so lucky…. A gigantic demon rose before him.. a familiar one.

The Kyuubi no Kitsune stood, in all its glory, before Naruto. 150 feet tall, its tails swishing around behind it. It looked down at Naruto, before… smiling.

"**WELL MORTAL. LOOKS LIKE THE UCHIHAS ARE GOOD FOR SOMETHING. HE SENT YOU TO HELL…AND NOW I GET TO DO WHAT I WISH WITH YOU. OH HOW I'LL ENJOY THIS.**" The Kyuubi uttered in a morbidly happy voice. Before Naruto could even attempt to say something, he felt a pain that made the previous week feel like nothing.

The tips of the tails of the Kitsune had narrowed into spears, all rapidly shooting in and out of Naruto's body, through his eyes making them bleed out, through his crotch, neutering him in the most painful way imaginable, though his joints: the elbows, the knees, through his heart, through his throat, and through all vital areas, giving them only time to regenerate before destroying them again. Then, the Kitsune lit his tails with chakra, burning the rest of Naruto, the only constant being his brain….

And then, after a week of torture at the Kitsune's mercy, it was over…

(Sasuke's Mindscape)

Sasuke was in Konoha, in the woods of the forest surrounding it… He saw a young Sakura, remembering the love that he could never shake. It was the killing of emotions that brought power… wasn't it? Sasuke saw his experiences with Sakura… their first date…

"Oh Sasuke-kun, that was great!" A 12 year old Sakura said happily, walking with Sasuke out from a movie theater. They'd just seen a rather popular movie about a princess from Snow Country. Walking downt he street, Sasuke found himself watching Sakura as she walked slightly ahead of him, swaying her hips… she was actually quite attractive.

"_Sakura-chan, want me to walk you home?" Sasuke asked politely. "It's getting dark out… I just wanna make sure you're okay." Now this, of course, was completely false. Even as just genin they could take out basically any civilian._

_She just nodded, grasping his hand tighter while he caught up to her, walking beside her. They soon got to her house, and he walked off at the door, though not before she gave him a peck on the cheek._

This was a painful memory, as it was the first time he'd actually minded going home to an empty house. Her warmth… it was undeniable. He was dreading the next memory… their first kiss.

Sasuke was in the woods in Tea-country on a C-rank mission, throwing kunai at branches, venting frustration from having been out-classed by ninja earlier that day. He noticed a person following him, and decided to try to stop quickly, to see if they were after him or just going in that direction. He tried to stop, but the branch he tried to stop on was slippery and he fell, rolling off to the side and coming to a clearing, in front of a pond.

_The figure stopped, then followed him, out to the clearing. The pond was truly breath-taking in its beauty. It was a tranquil place, the setting sun lighting it up with yellow, orange, red, and near the middle… purple. This only accentuated the beautiful pink and red Sasuke saw as he got up and looked down at the girl before him…_

"_Sakura-chan… why were you following me?"_

"_I just wanted to make sure you were okay… y'know, after today… Falling on your butt isn't so bad, better than being useless."_

"_You aren't useless… I need you here at least. And I'm just a little sore, just wish I could've done more."_

_Sakura gave him a slap on the ass and giggled as he winced. They'd been going out for the last few months or so, and had gotten much closer. Sakura had even learned of his clan. "Hehe, Sasuke-kun. Guess you are sore, huh?"_

"_Yeah real funny. I gotta rest…" Sasuke said, before sitting down again, letting his feet hang over the edge of the small cliff leading to the edge of the pond. Sakura sat down next to him, and leaned against him. He put his arm around her, and felt happy that someone understood him and would only laugh playfully… with him, not at him. Someone he liked to be around. The sun set almost fully, before they looked at each other again, and Sasuke and Sakura let their eyes meet. Sasuke's eyes flicked over to the kunai he'd dropped when he tripped, before focusing back._

"_Go ahead, dozo." Sakura spoke softly, motioning for him to go train like he wanted to. However, her lips were so inviting… soft, pink, juicy. Sakura was about to speak again before Sasuke reached down and brought her lips to his. The kiss lasted a few minutes, before they pulled away. Sakura just stared at him, blushing, before pulling him down and kissing him once more._

By this point Sasuke was really hurting. He'd killed someone who had meant this much to him… someone who could have made him happy, without the revenge that he now couldn't take… without hate, someone who could've kept him strong. It began again…

"Good luck in the finals, Sasuke-kun." Sakura said sweetly, giving him a kiss for good luck. Sasuke returned the kiss with passion, knowing what he would have to do…

He knew what was coming, and didn't want to see it. However… it was something else… unexpected.

"_Well dobe, we shall see now who has the power. If I can kill you, I can kill Itachi, right? RIGHT?!" Sasuke said, charging a Chidori in his right hand. He was fighting Naruto… that time his sharingan had been temporarily sealed…_

"_SASUKE!" The girl screamed, her pink hair bouncing as she ran into the clearing. Somehow, even as he was, he still attracted fangirls. "Sasuke, stop. You don't want to kill, please, stop this." the girl pleaded._

Sasuke was prepared to see the Chidori go through her… killing her… but it didn't happen. Sasuke, in the 'memory' allowed the chidori to collapse, then reverted to normal, slowly. He let his sharingan eyes revert to his normal onyx ones, then slowly, embraced the girl before him. All he heard in his mindscape was:

"What could have been"… "Redeem Yourself"

The memories, the alteration, repeated over and over for more times than Saskue cared to count, it seemed as if it lasted a lifetime, until finally… it ended.

(Normal Time)

Sasuke and Naruto both fell to their knees, gasping for breath. Barely a second had passed since they'd announced their techniques, as made evident by their voices echoing in the camp. It lasted barely seconds, the gasping, before both of them looked up at each other.

"Red…emp….tion…is…for…the…weak…dobe…" Sasuke managed after about 20 seconds.

"Then… you…know…the…con….se…quen….ces…" Naruto muttered out. He shakily made it to his feet, his eyes had, for the first time in ages, reverted to the sky blue Naruto was born with. Sasuke, likewise, made it to his feet, his eyes reverted to their onyx color.

"Pre…pare…to…die…" Naruto managed, dropping all weights and pulling out Kie, using it to support his weight. Sasuke too removed his weights, before pulling out his sword.

"I'd… like… you… to…meet…Kie's…brother:… Drey…" The sword was short, about a one and a half foot blade, and an eight inch handle. With a pitch black blade and a black handle, it pulsed black in the same way Kie pulses green.

Sasuke gradually shifted his weight, eventually standing in his sword stance, Drey flat out in front of him, parallel to the ground at eye level, his left hand came up and grasped Drey's handle, before pulling away. A copy of Drey rested in his hand now, pulsing the same black. "And this… is Ein"

Naruto, naturally, brought himself into his stance. He fished around his reserves for chakra, attempting to make his actions a little faster, but found he had about 1, and it looked like Sasuke was in similar condition. Enough chakra for about two rasengans, enough in Sasuke for about two chidoris.

"Let's… end this…" Naruto said, straining to get out the syllables.

"Yes…" Sasuke said, straining in a similar fashion. With that, they both charged a tiny bit of chakra to their legs, and charged.

Sasuke brought his right hand, swinging Drey so as to break Naruto's guard. Expertly parrying, Naruto did two cross cuts with Kie, but both were parried by Sasuke, who proceeded to duck under Naruto's guard, rolling and throwing Ein at Naruto. Not expecting this, the sword sunk into Naruto, before disappearing to leave a gaping wound. Sasuke got back up, and pulled another 'Ein' from Drey, once again wielding two short-swords.

"Lucky… shot…" Naruto said quietly, mostly to himself. Putting a seal against his stomach, he found himself not healing. _That's right… I don't even have enough chakra to activate the first level fuingan… It's like its gone from me, like his Sharingan is gone from him._

Naruto charged again, plunging Kie in a straight line down towards Sasuke's head. He, of course, blocked it with both short swords, before throwing it back at Naruto. Thinking he;d created an opening, Sasuke threw Ein at Naruto, and it stuck into him, before disappearing, creating another wound. What Sasuke hadn't noticed what the foot flying towards his chest. A level two rasengan, not controlled but still potent, was concentrated on the sole of Naruto's foot, which drove into Sasuke's stomach, blowing through him.

Naruto was down, his sword supporting him as the two gaping holes in him continued to bleed. He'd missed the heart on his last attack, but it was still worth the hit. Sasuke was barely standing. A hole, six inches in diameter, was going straight through his chest, vaporizing his stomach. He couldn't have thrown up if he wanted to.

"It….It's… over…" Naruto said, blood pouring from his mouth as his punctured kidneys and damaged lung cried out in protest.

"N-Not… yet…" Sasuke muttered. He pointed his hand as Naruto, grasping only Drey now, which had grown to the length of a long sword. "B-Black…. Light…ning…" Sasuke gasped out.

A black substance, moving at impossible angles, flew towards Naruto, who blocked with Kie and a small shield of Amorphia… which didn't last. He was on the ground soon, writhing in agony as the lightning scorched his skin and insides. It soon let up, and everything went black.. Naruto was unconscious, dying.

Sasuke struggled, but walked over to Naruto, and spit on his face, though it contained more blood than saliva. He raised his sword, prepared to stab it through Naruto's throat, when a kunai came from nowhere. It knocked Drey away from Naruto's throat, though it remained in Sasuke's grasp.

"GET AWAY FROM HIM" Tenten yelled, appearing from the trees, appearing to have been moving at top speed. Behind her emerged Hinata, Temari, and Ino, all fully equipped for battle.

"Y-you live… this time… Namikaze" Sasuke muttered before sinking into the ground and disappearing.

None of them bothered to chase after him, all four of Naruto's fiances crouching over him, trying to heal him. With low-level medic techniques, and the help of Naruto's sealing belts which contained healing seals, they stabilized him well enough to bring him back to Konoha.

(Hospital, two weeks later)

"Please be okay, please… I don't know what I'd do without you… please…" Hinata whimpered. She hadn't left Naruto's side for all of the two weeks. Ino, Temari, and Tenten had been just as vigilant, though they occasionally went home for showering, or went to the Hokage's office to help out. The war had ended, due to Dust declaring neutrality to rebuild itself separate from Iwa and Kumo, while Kumo was destroyed by a transformed Gaara using the full tail of power and turning into a giant raccoon, while Iwa stopped hostilities to help Kumo rebuild and to keep the war from weakening them any further. It was no alliance, but it was peace.

"All I want from life is you… please be okay…" Hinata continued. Her voice was long since cracking, from having been talking for so long. "If only a familiar voice could help…" A doctor chimed in. "Hinata-sama, you should go home. Even with his recovery rate, he won't be up for another few weeks… We aren't masters of healing the mind like Tsunade-sama was…. This will take time."

"Gomen, but I refuse to leave his side. When he wakes up… I want to see him first. I want him to see me, to be welcomed back to this world… by me."

(Naruto's Mindscape)

Naruto was sitting before the ying-yang symbol in his mind with the nine tails entwined within and emerging from the symbol. The fox heads replacing the circles, and the intricacies of the seal which coated the wall with each tail of power gained access to. Touching the wall as he once had when it granted power, he now found the wall… cold. It was the absence of the great fox. The memories of his torture played over again in his mind, surrounding him, but they didn't bother him as much as the one feeling which plagued his mind with confusion.

Betrayal. The great fox had, betrayed him in hell, or a genjutsu imitating hell. It seemed so real, but was quite clearly fake at the same time. _'Was I that bad to the fox? I mean… I merged with him, then expelled him, there were no thoughts like with Gaara and his demon so long ago, no more talking to it… so then why does this bother me?'_

Naruto brought both hands to the symbol on the wall, tilted his head, and wept. Tears streamed down his face. _If I cannot protect the strong, how can I protect the weak… How can I move on with life knowing that the one person, no… Demon that helped me most will betray me, for being the host that I was… He may have been evil, but he never really acted that way… and I took his power from him, and made it my own, before throwing it away. I could have used it differently.. but I expelled it… why? WHY?_

The answers simply wouldn't come. Naruto soon left the wall, after wiping the tears from his eyes. He looked around his mind, opening doors, seeing the various ways that the fox had helped him, before coming across a conclusion he hadn't expected….

'He… he always wanted me happy, even if he didn't always show it. He was there for advice, he wanted me to have kits. The same way he referred to me as his kit… That… That is why I will live on. For Hinata, for Tenten, Temari, Ino… I will LIVE'

(Hospital)

Naruto awoke, sitting straight up and gasping for air. The first thing he did was look over to his sides. Sure enough, All four of his fiances were there, staring at him wide-eyed.

"You were right, Hinata… I could get lost in his eyes right now." Temari said, staring into the pits of sky blue that were Naruto's natural eye color. She was the only one who had never seen it before, and the rest thought they would never see it again.

Naruto relaxed a bit, taking in his surroundings. He was glomped by an ecstatic, but stinky, Hinata who literally leapt on him, showering him in kisses while the other three girls looked on slightly jealous but happy.

"Did he get away?" Naruto asked, breaking the happy nature of the room. All of them looked hesitantly at Tenten, causing Naruto to look at her as well.

"Yes… He was about to kill you but I knocked away his sword." She said quietly.

"Then we must prepare for the next attack" Naruto said, his combat mode returning to him. "Get Kakashi".

Before any of them could ell him it wouldn't be necessary, Kakashi appeared from just outside the window. "Naruto." He said, the missing honorific greatly appreciated by the blond haired Hokage. "The war is over. If your wives would consent I would like to bring you up to date. You've been out for two weeks, I think you deserve a prompt explanation from those of us that have been running this village in your stead."

Naruto simply nodded, as Temari closed the door and put a 'borrowed' silencing seal around the room, and the explanations began.

(2 hours later)

Naruto was digesting the new information, while recovering from the pain still evident in much of his body. He spoke shakily, the pain-killers having worn off, but he was not in terrible pain.

"So basically, the war is over. Dust, Kumo, and Iwa are rebuilding. Suna lost most of its forces, as did Konoha in the major assaults, and neutrality has been declred. The village is rebuilding well and should be back to normal in a few months, and the academy is running the same to keep it up. All that is left is for me to deal with the masses of paperwork and a few more major things, and we're back on track?"

"That's about it." Kakashi said, flipping through his book, despite the fact that the four girls in the room were sporting glares directed at him.

"Okay… Last major decisions: get the cargo from Wave Country here faster, we'll need it to help with the rebuilding. Secondly start plan Zeta." Kakashi looked surprised for a moment before nodding and poofing away in a cloud of smoke. The girls in the room were about to ask Naruto what Plan Zeta was, but were pre-empted by his snoring. Getting a positive report from the doctor, the four girls trooped home. They would just have to wait until tomorrow.

(Next Day)

Hinata was rushing to Naruto's room. There had been disturbances in the night, loud screaming from his room, but the door couldn't be opened. Activating her Byakugan, Hinata hit a few key points on the door, before using a palm strike to blast it down. In front of her, sword in hand, was Naruto…

Only, the sword was not pointed at a foe, or even at her for having intruded… It was pointing at himself. Naruto had his sword through his gut, twisting it in a kind of seppuku…

"NARUTO-KUN!" Hinata screamed, before rushing to his side. His left hand flew out and knocked her away, smashing her against the wall.

"I can't live with it!" Naruto said, sobbing as he tried to kill himself. However, his body would not die… Blood was dripping down, and Naruto felt his body straining to stay alive, despite his clear intention to die.

"Hell." Naruto whispered, before dropping to his knees. Kie let out a pulse, dislodging itself from Naruto and healing him at the same time. It flew across the room, skidding on the linoleum floor as it escaped Naruto's clutches. Even his sword wouldn't let him die.

Naruto's cries of pain did not fade, however, until a good couple more seconds. All he saw was darkness, before the nightmares began again, and he began writhing as before.

"Naruto-kun" whispered Hinata from her spot by a cabinet. Some blood was coming from where she'd pulled her arm from the wall, but she cared little for it, moving over to Naruto's side and grasping him in a warm hug. His cries and movement lessened gradually, until soon he was resting somewhat peacefully. A trickle of blood leaked from his nose, but Hinata looked at it with a smile. '_at least he's having good dreams… can't let him sleep alone anymore'_.

She stayed by him, on the floor, for another hour before he awoke again. Finding himself in her arms, he sighed peacefully, before kissing her gently and looking her in the eyes. "Thank you" he whispered dreamily. He picked himself up, balancing Hinata in his arms against his chest so as to not leave her embrace. "I owe you one."

Hinata just looked at him, then leaned in and kissed him. It lasted all of about a minute before she drew back, before whispering huskily I his ear: "Alone, wine, and sex and we're even."

Surprisingly, Hinata only sported a small blush, whilst Naruto turned deep red. "Deal." He agreed. Forgetting about his now healed wound, he grabbed Kie and slung it on his back, then used Hiraishin to go back to the estate, Hinata's bedroom. It was rarely used, as Hinata usually slept with Naruto, but it was still kept in good order. To make up for his actions… well… they had a good morning:

(Hinata's bedroom, 30 minutes later)

"Wow… better than the first time" Naruto huffed, panting from the exertion. He was flat on his back on her bed, Hinata at his side one arm still wrapped around him. They'd done it three times in 20 minutes and were both fairly tired.

"Nah… First was best, Hokage-sama." Hinata said, teasingly. Hinata liked being punished, so they'd started off with her being spanked on each cheek until it was pink. She liked being dominated, so Naruto was in control, until round three when she rode him like there was no tomorrow.

"I personally liked my view" Said a voice from the doorway. Naruto looked up and saw Ino standing there. He quickly covered his and Hinata's privates with the blanket, before asking angrily: "How long have you been there?"

"Oh, not long" she replied nonchalantly. "About six minutes. By the way, Naruto, nice dick." At that she was received a pillow to the face, having not expected it. The force moved her out of the room, an opportunity Naruto used to create a Kage Bunshin who closed and sealed the door, which then promptly dispelled. Naruto was treated by the sight of seeing Hinata from two angles. '_damn… I am a lucky man.'_

"Well, Naruto-kun, feel better?"

"Oh, much. Now come on, we better get ready for the day or else Ino is going to tell the others about it before you get the chance to."

Hinata squealed and jumped in the shower. Despite her shyness, she liked to brag about that kind of thing, a fact Naruto knew well. This may be why some women he didn't even know looked at him as if they were imagining naughty things… though it may have been for other reasons.

(4 years later)

After that incident in the hospital, Naruto got used to sleeping with Hinata and his other fiances at night. The nightmares of hell mostly left him, and rarely did he ever have problems sleeping. The revuilding of Konoha was complete and trade routes were underway. Wave, Tea, Waterfall, and other various small countries, along with Konoha's major ally, Suna, set up a trading network and made their alliances official, leaving Iwa, Kumo, and Dust to work themselves out. They were gradually weakening, as opposed to growing stronger, and things seemed to be looking up for Konoha. The next generation of Shinobi arrived, with increasingly strong genin and thus increasingly strong chuunin, jounin, and ANBU. Vlad, Asuka, and Chouro became leaders of the Hunter-nins, ANBU, and Demolition divisions respectively, and other once strong genin became such leaders. The customs of the past Konoha were just that, the past.

The Konoha ruling system was also reformed. No longer were clans separate entities with their own laws, as of Plan Zeta. Zeta described a Konoha with integrated clan systems, mixing bloodlines to create still stronger shinobi, clan leaders working together for the improvement of Fire Country and Konoha. The entire clan system was reformed, with heirs of clans mingling to find the best combinations. All clans had the same types of rules, but had the same rights as any citizen of Konoha, only custom differentiating 'clans'. New bloodlines were taken in by Konoha, creating new clans. The Hyouton bloodline of Kiri, as well as abandoned bloodlines during the war from Iwa and Kumo. Soon, there could be found 2 year olds with a Byakugan and the ability to conjure lightning or ice. Cross-breeds, the next generation of bloodline limits.

Plan Zeta also brought in a new ruling system for Konoha. The clan heads were now a committee of their own. Aburame Shino, Inuzuka Kiba, Hyuuga Hanabi, Yamanaka Inoichi, Akimichi Chouro, Shinamura Asuka, Nara Shikamaru, and the rest of the heirs were made clan heads, along with heads of the new clans to enter into Konoha. This council oversaw the decisions of the civilian council which fueled the ninja community by helping bring in missions. With the civilians working easily with the Hokage, Naruto, the system became more sufficient, corruption basically impossible. This was Plan Zeta, the plan created by Naruto at the beginning of his dream, and it worked perfectly.

Marriage soon followed the completion of Plan Zeta, having taken 4 years to complete that among other programs. It was time. The 22 year old Naruto, the Rokudaime Hokage, held his marriage in front of the whole village, allowing all of them to come. Even Gaara and Kankurou traveled from Suna to see their sister get married.

It was enormous. The altar itself was placed on top of the Hokage tower. A giant fountain stood behind it, magnificent in all ways, enhancing the beauty of the scene before the people of Konoha. Hyuuga Hinata, Yamanaka Ino, Sabaku no Temari, and Iketana Tenten were all walking up a giant velvet covered ramp leading to the top of the Hokage tower. The aisles themselves were set on platforms equal in height to the Hokage tower. The walking of the four brides looked much like the ascension of an angel to heaven, this hypothesis greatly reinforced by the fact that all of them looked like angels.

Hinata led the way, a strapless white gown on with many lacy accessories, including an array of lace which trailed down her arms in a spider-web-type fashion. The veil across her face left it somewhat obscured, but she was still very beautiful. Behind her was Ino. She, like Hinata, was wearing a strapless white dress, except the lace trailed down her sides making flower shapes. Her hair was down, like Hinata's and trailed to her lower back. Her face couldn't be seen beneath the veil, but she was sporting a huge smile. Behind her, Tenten wore the same, with her hair down, and behind her… everyone gasped.

Temari… TEMARI was wearing something formal. She had on a white dress, with straps so as to keep it on at least somewhat, but she'd managed to make the wedding dress look more alluring than any though possible. It now hugged her figure, the gown had a slit up the front going to mid-thigh, exposing most of her legs as she walked, and had a long trail behind her. In the audience, Anko thought to herself '_I want a wedding dress like THAT someday.'_

All four of them were walking gracefully up the ramp to the pedestal where their soon to be stood. He was wearing formal Hokage robes, as per tradition, and the hat which he lowered as they came, before placing it on again when they arrived. His hair trailed down to an inch or two beneath his shoulders, and with time after Kyuubi's chakra left him, his whisker marks had faded, until now they no longer existed. He looked almost exactly like the Yondaime.

Kakashi performed the ceremony quickly, as Temari had told the other girls if they wanted to make vows, it was an effort in futility. None of them would ever leave him, so just let her get her shot at him. In other words, the girls took more basic vows, before Naruto made his. He said his vows, then turned to Vlad who was standing nearby in an ANBU mask, who then handed Naruto the rings. Slipping them each onto his wives' fingers, he then received one which each of his wives was touching, signifying their whole bond.

"You may kiss your brides." Said Kakashi.

And he did so, with gusto. The town erupted in applause as he one by one gave each of his wives a long, deep kiss, and laughter when Temari and Tenten began pulling Naruto away from the altar. Naruto waved feebly and he was dragged away, and Hinata and Ino soon followed. Tonight would be amazing… and the next, and the next, and the next.

(That night)

Hinata and Naruto were sitting on opposite edges of the bed, both nude and in towels. They had been in this situation before, and it was still sort of awkward for them, as Hinata was shy about her body. Naruto was a little shy as well, but was usually the one to take charge. That's how Hinata liked it. Moving over to the other side of the bed, Naruto took out 'What I Want To Do With Naruto Vol 7', them having made more over time since he wasn;t always available and Ino, Tenten, and Temari were really REALLY horny from having waited so long, and asked: "What chapter?"

(**Incoming series of short lemons. I am not great at writing these, but they were requested. I'm trying here.**)

Hinata pointed to chapter 3, which Naruto turned to and read. Yeah, Hinata was feisty today. Naruto soon found himself flat on his back, Hinata teasing him with her lips, just barely inches from his. She threw off his towel, leaving him nude, before graping his member and beginning to rub it. Naruto moaned in pleasure, but as soon as he opened his mouth Hinata seized it, locking lips with him. Their tongues danced, until soon Naruto felt his member being encase by Hinata. She dropped off her towel, letting it fall to the floor, and squatted down so that she held his length inside her. It didn't hurt anymore, it just felt good. She began to pump up and down on him, while he fondled her breasts which were bouncing in tempo to her thrusts. Naruto soon joined in, his entire cock moving in and out with its full length, pressure building and building, until Naruto was forced to let go of Hinata's breasts in order to keep up with the speed… until he burst. Hinata released at the same time, and soon they were panting, both red in the face from the exertion.

Naruto then deviated from the original plan. Flipping Hinata onto her stomach, she gasped out "W-what are you doing?"

"Oh, nothing" Naruto said, grinning mischievously. He put her down on her hands and knees, and then thrust himself into her again, doggy style. Pushing in and out, her breathing grew louder. "ah, ah, Ah, Ah, Ah, AH, AH, AH!" She continued to grow louder, occasionally moaning out Naruto's name. He soon stopped thrusting, leaning over Hinata and rubbing her breasts, kissing her neck as she did so. She continued to moan, his entire length still in her, his hands running over her body, caressing her breasts and pinching the nipples, to which she cried his name: "NARUTO!" At this, he created a Kage Bunshin, who stuck his dick into Hinata's mouth. She began sucking him off as he thrust into her on the other side, building speed. Soon both sides released in an explosion of sperms, and the Kage Bunshin disappeared, giving Naruto the very, VERY pleasant memory of Hinata's tongue moving over and around his dick. They both then lay on the bed, and fell asleep in each other's arms. Tomorrow night Naruto would great to try out his first virgin in a long time.

(Next night)

The day had been wonderful. They spent it mostly at the hot spring, getting a shared one for them all. They relaxed, drank wine, and talked in the spring for a while before getting out when they felt they would pass out. After clearing their heads, Tenten, Ino, and Temari competed in rock-paper-scissors, and to Tenten and Temari's disappointment, Ino won. She would get him for the night.

Yamanaka Ino, perfectly shaped body, luscious curves, D-cup breasts, and platinum blond hair, was standing in Naruto's doorway in a denim skirt which only came to her upper-thigh, nearly showing her thong underneath, and a purple tank top which was tight across her body, exposing her breasts as she was wearing no bra. Naruto was in the bed across the room, looking at her but trying… and failing not to ogle her body.

"Well, Naruto-kun, I've been waiting a long time." She said in a seductive voice. Naruto searched for words, but could find none… He also found he could convince a himself to move. He felt further paralyzed when Ino leaned over and took him into her arms.

"Come on, I want it. Hard." Ino spoke softly, though forcefully. She proceeded to rip off his clothing, throwing it to the side without care. Naruto caught on and ripped hers off as well, discarding it no more carefully than she had.

Ino pushed Naruto off the bed, laying down on it naked before him. Getting up, he just saw her lying there, and did not waste the opportunity. Leaping onto her, he bound her arms to the bed above her head with his left hand, using the other hand to caress her right breast. Cupping it in his hand, he pinched the nipple between his thumb and forefinger, eliciting strong moans from Ino. Taking the left nipple into his mouth, he nibbled on it slightly, her breathing growing louder.

"I want it dammit." She whispered into his ear, more forcefully than before. Naruto paid this no heed and removed his head from her breast, trailing butterfly kisses up her body and neck, finally latching onto her lips with his own. They both moaned into the kiss, tongues dancing, then fighting for control which Naruto eventually won.

However, Ino broke away, and gave him a glare and a bit of killing intent. Naruto decided not to delay the woman any longer. Flipping her over, she complied and on her hands and knees felt Naruto slowly enter her.

"Wait! Stop! You're gonna split me in half!" Ino shrieked as he pushed his member in more.

"I thought you liked it hard, didn't you?" Naruto said 'hard' with emphasis. However, Ino didn't get the chance to respond as Naruto pushed all the way into her. Finding no resistance he casually commented: "Not you first? You must have experience then. I'll have to make a better impression."

Thrusting into her, he brought his hands to her hips, rocking he in tune to himself, and picking up the pace. She caught on and began rocking against him, moving forward when he pulled out, moving back when he pushed in. Almost his entire length was moving in and out of her.

Their breath grew, as Ino began moaning Naruto's name. Naruto just began breathing louder, panting with the effort. Their pace grew faster, he fucked her harder. Faster, harder, fastest, hardest. She stopped moaning and started screaming his name, as they climaxed at the same moment.

"NARUTO-KUN"… "INO-HIME!"

And with that they both collapsed. However they were far from over, as Ino pounced on Naruto once again. And they fucked… long into the night.

(Next Day)

The day was spent at a festival in Konoha's center. They were briefly interrupted so that Naruto could do some work, but he sent a Kage Bunshin to do it. Winning various stuffed animals, and getting free food for himself and his wives (which he paid for anyway since he could) Naruto spent the day pleasing his wives, though… Ino was walking rather haphazardly today….

Returning to the estate, Naruto went up to his bedroom expecting that either Temari or Tenten would come up. However, he was surprised when they both walked in.

"We decided neither of us want to wait another night. I'm sure you won't have problems keeping up with both of us, right?"

However, she got no answer from Naruto, as he was still ogling their bodies. Temari was wearing a black lace bra and thong combo, while Tenten was in a red see-through teddy with mostly see-through red panties. Their bodies were perfection.

Seeing Naruto blushing red… and unable to form words, Temari and Tenten looked at each other before moving forward towards him. Majestically swaying their hips, they decided to tease him to start with. Temari ran her hands over Tenten, holding her in her arms. She began to caress her, having her giving small moans, until Tenten whispered in Temari's ear something that made her smile. Nodding her head, they began to dance around for Naruto… swaying their bodies and teasing him suggestively.

By this point Naruto had realized what was happening, and his member had long gone stiff. Getting up, her took them into his arms, both his left and right hand snaking downwards, his left grasping Tenten's firm rear, his right doing the same with Temari's. This elicited small squeals from the both of them, before they decided to get serious. After all, it isn't nice to surprise a lady like that.

Temari worked on getting Naruto's shirt off of him, while Tenten removed his pants and boxers, and in less than a second they threw him onto the bed, and crawled up to him, each with a hand on his member, now standing erect at nine inches.

"Naruto-kun" Tenten whispered, before removing her hand. She then proceeded to lick his dick, running her tongue along it. At the same time, Temari enveloped his dick's head, and sucked on it. Naruto gripped the sheets of the bed tightly as he moaned. They continued to lick and suck on his dick as the pressure built, both satisfied at having Naruto under their control given that they were given Ino's description of his dominance that day.

Soon, the pressure built to beyond what Naruto could control, and he shot his semen up onto both their faces. They deftly licked it off, enjoying the taste as they decided to get to it. Both being virgins, they raced for the prize, each wanting it first. Tenten quickly placed herself over his dieck, before roughly moving the head into her. She moaned, but Naruto was not paying attention to her so much as he now was to Temari, as… since she couldn't have his dick, she wanted his tongued.

Crouching over Naruto, Temari put her clit directly in front of Naruto's head, before ramming it into her pussy. She soon felt Naruto's tongue entering her, eliciting a moan from her, then a scream when he nibbled on the little mound of flesh in there, her clitoris. Continuing to nibble on it, Temari was screaming her head off, while Tenten soon joined her cries as she pushed herself all the way down onto her, breaking her. Temari let loose an orgasm, her juices covering Naruto's face, not that he minded. Temari then got off of him, and winked at Tenten, who feebly acknowledged with a nod as Naruto looked at her. She had begun pumping on her own, her breasts bouncing with each push.

Arching his back, Naruto grabbed hold of her breasts, before joining her, thrusting himself up and down as he filled her pussy. Creating a clone, Naruto had it massage Tenten's shoulders as she bounced up and down on Naruto's dick, screaming louder and louder. Arching up further, Naruto took Tenten's left tit into his mouth, his right hand caressing her other breast while his left hand grasped her butt firmly, allowing him to put more power into each of his ever increasing amount of thrusts. Soon, the screaming stopped for a moment, As Tenten arched her back, and came. "NARUTO-KUN!" she screamed, while Naruto took the opportunity to loudly moan out her name, though it couldn't be heard over her.

Tenten soon removed herself tiredly from his dick, as Temari came up behind her and punched the clone in the face, causing Naruto to wince as the memory returned. "I want only you, and all of you." Temari said forcefully. However, Naruto was tired of the submissive game, and knew Temari liked strong men.

Getting up from his spot on the bed, Naruto grasped Temari's breasts with both hands, and at the same time brought the head of his dick to her pussy. Pumping into her, he didn't even let her get adjusted before he continued to pump in and out, having quickly broken her wall. Temari shrieked and moaned at the same time, before leaping into Naruto's arms. He grabbed her legs under the thighs and supported her against a wall nearby, at the same time enveloping her lip in a kiss.

She moaned into the kiss as their tongues danced, before Tenten came over to them and interrupted. Massaging Naruto's shoulders, she gave Temari a glare for having partially taken away Naruto when she broke her virginity, and proceeded to plant kisses on his neck. Grabbing her hand, Naruto led Tenten to the bed, still carrying Temari. Throwing the blond haired goddess down onto the bed, he continued to pump into her as she drew hold on his shoulders, forcing him to come forward harder. At the same time, he took his left hand and put two fingers into Tenten's pussy, and his pinky into her ass. She moaned out his name as he continued pumping with both his hand and fingers.

Soon, Temari's moaning had increased in volume until it had become hard to hear anything else. Pushing into her still harder, he knew he was reaching his limit, as was she. They climaxed one after the other, Temari coming first as she arched her back and dug her nails into Naruto's shoulders. Flooding out of her, Naruto pulledout his dick and bent down. Lapping up her juices. Immediately after, Tenten whined, as Naruto had stopped pumping with his fingers. Turning to her, he gave her a wink and then shoved his dick into her pussy, as she shrieked in pleasure. Moments later, the pressure that had been build came again full strength, and she came once again. Naruto was about to start in on her again, but was pulled down to the bed again by Temari, flipping him onto his back. Tenten and Temari looked at each other, then winking mischievously, started in on Naruto again.

It was a very, very long night of fucking. **(End lemons)**

(Next day)

Temari and Tenten came down from Naruto's room, walking a bit awkwardly, for breakfast. Naruto soon followed them, but he was barely making his way downstairs and looked awful, whereas Tenten and Temari just had satisfied looks on their faces, a look that Ino and Hinata now knew well.

"Well, I'd say I'm good for another few days… Then I'm ready for another round." Tenten said, before Naruto looked at her in horror.

Hinata giggled. "You know most guys would kill to be in your position, right?" She said, and of course this just had Naruto sigh in defeat, which caused her to giggle again.

"Don't worry, we'll give you a few days to recover." Temari said reassuringly.

Naruto was about to sit down to eat, when he was stopped by Hinata, who held her hand out to him. He took it, and Hinata looked into his eyes dreamily. "I wanted to give everyone a chance to have you at least once before I announced this. I'm pregnant."

The other three girls were cheering while Naruto's eyes popped out of his head… before he hugged Hinata so tightly he would've broken her in half if Temari hadn't pulled him off. "That's great! I'm gonna be a father!" Naruto shouted, though not too loudly.

"We'll have to make preparations of course… I want a child soon too." Tenten remarked casually. Ino nodded, she wanted a kid too, and Temari just remarked along with them: "I want one too then. At least then they'll all have someone to play with when they're young.

Thus, some fertility drugs, lots of sex, and one exhausted Naruto later, all of the four of his wives were pregnant, and all was well with the world.

(9 months later)

By some miracle, all four of Naruto's wives were delivering kids at the same time. At this point, suspicions against Dust were rising and their new Kage, Uchiha Sasuke, had been threatening Konoha with attacks. Of course, Naruto felt that if they were to encounter each other again, he would be able to defeat him, however something he didn't expect was coming for him… Hissing above the gates, the gigantic eight headed snake, the Hachibi no Hebi.

"We must defend the village until the Hokage arrives!" A jounin yelled out, as the assault on the great snake continued. Atop the snake stood Konoha's greatest enemy, Uchiha Sasuke. His voice rung out over the ranks of Shinobi.

"Bring forth your great Rokudaime. He is no match for the eight tailed snake demon."

The assault continued, as Naruto stood just inside the room of his four wives. He had just taken the newly born children into his arms, hugging and kissing each of them, before giving them back to their respective mothers. As Naruto left the room, he closed the door and said to himself _'Forgive me, Hyuuga Hikaru, Sabaku no Yokutu, Iketana Masama, Yamanaka Inoshu, I only hope I survive to see you again. If not, live good lives, I love you all.'_

Leaving the hospital, Naruto formed five hand seals and yelled "Kuchiyose no Jutsu" and the sloth queen Folirvora arrived. Atop her head Naruto stood, and he pointed towards the giant snake. Folivora nodded and jumped with surprising speed and agility, landing directly in front of the snake, between it and Konoha. From down below someone could hear the injured ANBU commander, Shinamura Asuka, shout to the ranks: "RETREAT! The Rokudaime is here, he will do it!"

Immediately, the remaining ninja retreated, bringing with them the injured and the dead whose bodies were still intact.

Naruto stood, 150 feet in the air, on top of his summon, level with Sasuke and his snake. Sasuke held an arrogant smirk, his Sharingan active, Mangekyou. "Well, so the great Naruto had revealed himself. I was beginning to wonder how many of your ninja I would have to kill before you showed yourself."

Naruto remained silent, as he lit all 100 of his eye seals, then changed them. His eyes became something Sasuke didn't remember from last time, a level of the fuingan that Folivora hadn't even had, because she hadn't known it existed.

"Sasuke. You have brought this upon yourself. Your attempt on my life nearly five years ago brought me to train to this level, something even you cannot counter. Prepare to meet the reaper. FUINGAN: REAPER SEAL EYE!"

Naruto's eyes were no longer spirals of Kanji, they were just two voids with one small spiral in the middle, not even visible from where Sasuke was standing. "Now I end this! Kinjutsu Fuin: 1000 Soul Sacrifice: Hakke no Fuin Shiki!"

The Death God appeared, only visible to the demon, Folivora who helped Naruto by supplying power, Sasuke, and the Hachibi. Offering 1000 souls, all of chuunin level ninja or higher from Kie, its entire supply from over 200 years of history, since Konoha's creation, Naruto felt an extra pull on the sword. He let the sword go, and watched as it, 1000 souls, and the souls of Sasuke and the Hachibi were pulled into the Death God's stomach to be tortured for all eternity. After consuming them, the Death God turned to Naruto and spoke in a hollow voice.

"Young one, due to your offering, I will not take your soul, but you have breached the point of power for humans, much like your father did. To pay for it, he gave his life, however… I saw what this did to you. Thus, I will not take your soul, but, I will take your power. Neither you nor your offspring will ever be able to gain the true fuingan again.

With that, the death god reached out and took something from Naruto's eyes. Suddenly, they reverted to the first level fuingan again, green with black slits, the white kanji for seal in the middle. The now first, and only level of the fuingan. He found he couldn't even push it beyond that, and had he been an Uchiha, would've mourned the loss of power .However, he was just happy it worked. Feeling completely drained, Folivora left, dropping Naruto's body to the ground. Three ninja emerged from the gates, soon followed by the rest of the active ninja, and hundreds were now crowded around the Rokudaime.

Naruto slowly got to his feet, staring at the crowd around him, and for once, felt truly whole. In his lifetime he had effectively defeated the most feared criminals in the world, including Uchiha Sasuke, effectively killed the two strongest demons in history, united the clans under Plan Zeta, and had a beautiful loving family, four wives, and four children, two boys two girls. He was complete, and all that was left to live, in peace, and raise his kids, all that was left, was to live life. Opening his eyes, he revealed his cerulean blues, and spoke softly: "I was right. You can change your fate."

End Chapter

That is the last chapter, an amazing 9,600 words, the second longest chapter I believe. I covered a lot in there. If you have any questions, please just give me reviews, I will try to answer all I can. I will also probably write a small epilogue/endnote at some point to give you answers, but in essence, this fic is now complete. I hope you enjoyed it, now go out there and change your lives. As a wise, white haired man once said: "It's never too late to live your life."

Also, check out my new story, Demon Hunters. I will be updating it about once a week now.


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